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SABRINA 



SABRINA 

Being a Chronicle of the 

Life of the Goddess 

of 

AMHERST COLLEGE 



Recorded by 

WiNTHBOP H. Smith, 
Guardian of the Class of 1916 
Haxvob R. Sbwahd and John G, Gibson, 2nd 
of the Class of 1919 



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JUN \'6 l92i 



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Copyright, 19Sl,hy 

HALVOR R. SEWARD 

JOHN G. GIBSON, 2d 

WINTHROP H. SMITH 



TO AMHERST 

IN WHOSE LIFE SABRINA HAS PLAYED 
SO VITAL AND PICTURESQUE A 
PART WE DEDICATE THIS BOOK. 



PREFACE 

THE mystery, the romance and the un- 
confirmed rumors that have surrounded 
Sabrina for more than thirty years have 
built up a tradition unparalleled in the history of 
any other American college. The customs grow- 
ing up around the Goddess have been entirely 
spontaneous, the rivalry between Odd and Even 
classes originated naturally and grew in strength 
as the years passed by, until today the tradi- 
tion has become so intense and meaningful that 
the mere mention of Sabrina is sure to quicken 
the pulse of every Amherst man. 

Some twelve years ago, Max Shoop, of the 
class of nineteen ten, published a History of 
Sabrina. Up till then Sabrina had been the 
subject of considerable speculation; stories of 
her numerous travels and startUng appearances 
had been handed down by word of mouth, and 
exaggeration, purposeful and imaginative, wove 
a shroud of mystery about ''our fostering divin- 
ity." There were those who even doubted the 
existence of the statue. Shoop succeeded in 
gathering up the odds and ends of the story and 
presented them in a very pleasing and construc- 
tive way. 

Since the publication of that work much has 
taken place. Indeed, the most momentous hap- 



vi PREFACE 

pening in the recent life of Sabrina has occurred, 
for she is now in the hands of the Odd Classes, 
after twenty-nine years uninterrupted tenure by 
Even Classmen. 

The same doubts and mystery now prevail as 
did before Shoop's book was written, and as 
there have been many requests from alumni and 
undergraduates for an account of the last ten 
years' experiences, we have made an attempt 
here to fill this need. In doing so, we have tried 
to take a large view of Sabrina, and have treated 
the tradition as an integral part of the Spirit of 
Amherst, not as an affair of Odd or Even Classes 
only. We have tried to present an impartial 
account, giving credit where credit is due. 

Believing that the inclusion of a complete 
history would best serve the interest of the reader, 
we have traced the adventures of Sabrina from 
the time when she first adorned the campus to 
the last Sabrina banquet. 

The accounts herein contained are based upon 
the experiences of the Sabrina guardians since 
nineteen twelve, and of our contemporaries, as 
related to us. Acknowledgment is here made 
to Sydney D. Chamberlain, Walter McGay and 
Roswell P. Young, '14, John Atwater, '15, Philip 
H. See and Jacob P. Estey, '18, David S. SoH- 
day and Morris Bowman, '19, Kenneth B. Low 
and Paul C. Philhps, '21, and Rowell S. Schlei- 
cher, '21, for their interest and co-operation. 



EARLY DAYS 

SABRINA was given to Amherst College by 
Governor Joel Hayden of Massachusetts in 
the year 1857. The statue, which originally 
occupied a place of honor upon the terrace be- 
tween Old North College and the Octagon, was 
patterned after the statue of a nymph which is 
still at Shrewsbury, England. It rested upon a 
circular sandstone base on the front of which was 
an inscription. 

"Presented by Joel Hayden 
of Haydenville." 

Sabrina remained here for several years and 
enjoyed comparative peace and quiet. The 
first prank which was played upon her occurred 
a few years after her presentation to the college 
when a youth arrayed the Goddess in divers gar- 
ments stolen from a nearby girls school. Need- 
less to say, the student was dealt with by the 
faculty, and to this day Sabrina's fair cheek 
bears the marks of the student's ill-timed 
vengeance. 

From this time on Sabrina was the butt of the 
undergraduate body. She was whitewashed, 
indecorously decorated, and often anticipated her 
future career by frequent changes of color. 

1 



2 SABRINA 

The first abduction of which record can be 
found was committed by the class of '77. After 
a short sojourn away from the campus she ap- 
peared again in her famihar place. As yet no 
feeling of class proprietorship had grown up 
around the statue, but many were the humilia- 
tions Sabrina suffered at the hands of various 
jovial blades. She was first used as a distinctly 
class affair when '80 placed her on top of the 
Octagon holding a rag baby labeled '"81." 
Later on she appeared at the Class Supper of '82 
where she occupied the seat of honor, but her 
exalted position was soon reversed, for the spite- 
ful class of '83 immersed her deep in the college 
well. Thereafter the same jest was repeated, 
usually after a college victory. By this time, 
the faculty having become vitally weary of the 
students' rude treatment of the gift to the college 
of such a distinguished man, decided to put an 
end to the affair. Then, too, her appearance 
was becoming increasingly unattractive. Ac- 
cordingly, the college janitor was given the task 
of removing and doing away with the statue. 

This faithful servant of the college could not 
withstand the mute appeal of the Goddess for 
mercy, and accordingly hid her away from the 
prying eyes of the students in his barn. Here it 
remained for two years, as the "tradition of the 
hidden Goddess" took root. 



EARLY DAYS 3 

As new men came to college, they heard the 
story of the Goddess and two men, Duffey and 
Ingalls, of the class of '90, hit upon the idea of 
resurrecting Sabrina. They traced the history 
of the statue with great care, and in obedience to 
rumor that the college janitor still had her in his 
possession, they started out on Sunday night 
June 19, 1887 accompanied by Durgin, Child and 
Raymond of the same class to find her. After 
a prolonged search of the janitor's premises, the 
statue was found in the barn, and they took the 
Goddess to Guernsey's, where they were living, 
and hid her away in the cellar. Ninety at this 
time planned to reintroduce Sabrina to the col- 
lege with an appropriate celebration, but this 
plan had been discovered by its rival class '89. 
The result of the attempt to hold the celebra- 
tion was a terrific struggle in Chapel Tower. 
Sabrina did not appear as the surprise that '90 
had planned; she was more securely hidden in 
the attic of Guernsey's house. 

The class of '90 now decided to have the 
Goddess appear at their Class Banquet, and 
plans were laid accordingly. Wells, '91, over- 
heard the Sophomores plotting, and immediately 
communicated his information to some of his 
friends, and they planned to frustrate '90's de- 
signs. The Even Class had already departed 
for its supper, leaving but four men to guard the 



4 SABRINA 

guest of honor. Wells summoned ten men to 
his room, among whom were Morris, Hamilton, 
Crosier, Knight, Ludington, Hammond, Wood- 
ruff and Crocker. These men stealthily followed 
the team bearing the statue as it moved slowly 
up towards Chapel from Guernsey's. Seizing 
an advantageous moment, the men of '91 sprang 
upon the equipage, and Sabrina came for the 
first time into the possession of an Odd Class. 
She was promptly spirited away and rumor has 
it that she spent that summer deep beneath the 
placid waters of the broad Connecticut. The 
following poem from the '91 Olio aptly describes 
the foregoing incident: 

The summer term was closing fast, 
When through old Amherst village passed 
The Class of Ninety, on the road 
To the depot with their precious load, 
Sabrina. 

For now, indeed, 'twas their intent 
To add to joy and merriment 
By taking, their festive board to grace, 
The maiden with the pretty face, 
Sabrina. 

This fact has oft come to our ken, 
The best laid plans of mice and men 
Do fail. And this was just the case 
With Ninety and that form of grace, 
Sabrina. 



EARLY DAYS 

For to the Class of Ninety-One 
The knowledge of their plan had come, 
And each man solemnly declared 
"This toast to-night shall not be heard, 
Sabrina." 

So when Old Guernsey, in his cart, 
For the New London Northern made a start 
With that fair Goddess snug within, 
At once the Freshman howled like sin, 
"Sabrina." 

"Deter me not," the old man said, 
In mortal terror for his head, 
"The power of Ninety is great and wide," 
But loud a clarion voice replied, 
"Sabrina." 

And e'en before the dear old man 
Had really grasped their wicked plan. 
He heard mid sounds of trampling feet 
A voice which cried far up the street, 
"Sabrina." 

They drove the maid o'er hill and dale 
Until they reached a gloomy vale, 
And then without a hymn or prayer. 
In silence grim, they buried there, 
Sabrina. 

The Sophomores they cussed and swore 
Of oaths some ninety gross or more; 
But to their supper had to go 
Without the girl they'd longed for so, 
Sabrina. 



6 SABRINA 

And if to-day you wish to cloy 
Some dainty little Ninety boy, 
It always works for reasons clear, 
To whisper softly in his ear, 
"Sabrina!" 

The first Odd Class Sabrina Banquet was an 
auspicious occasion. The Supper was held at 
Watch Hill, R. I., and Sabrina was greeted with 
tumultuous applause. The class, having char- 
tered a tug, sailed around the Sound, following 
the Yale-Harvard boat race on a Httle ship bear- 
ing Sabrina aloft upon her bow. This caused 
quite a sensation at the regatta, and many ques- 
tions were asked concerning her. 

That evening H. C. Crocker, then guardian, 
took her by train to Westerly, R. I. and then to 
Watch Hill by wagon. Sabrina, according to 
'91 men, was reported to have liked the company 
of its protecting class much better than that of 
the class of '90. In the two succeeding years the 
Even Classes, then in college, availed nothing in 
their attempts to capture the Goddess. 

In the Fall of 1889 she was formally handed 
down to the class of '93, at that time in its 
Freshman year. This was the beginning of the 
tradition that Sabrina should be regarded as 
the subject of legitimate warfare between Odd 
and Even classes, and that she should descend 
by right of heritage to the succeeding class. All 



EARLY DAYS 7 

this winter she was kept in the barn at the home 
of Wells, '91, at Hatfield. This class brought 
Sabrina to its freshman banquet which was held 
at Springfield, and at this time and during the 
rest of that year she was under the guardianship 
of Schauffler who kept her under a haymow in a 
barn at Claremont, New Hampshire. 

Ninety-three planned to have its Sophomore 
Banquet in Boston in June 1891. The Goddess 
had been moved to a warehouse in Springfield and 
a committee was intrusted to bring the statue to 
the dinner. James Breed was selected to take 
Sabrina to Boston, and E. R. Houghton to see 
her safely back to Springfield. Breed, after crat- 
ing the statue, saw it safely to Boston where it 
appeared at the banquet in Tremont House, and 
was greeted with the caresses which have become 
since a time-honored custom. '93's account of 
its banquet appeared in the Olio. She was 
called ''Our Fostering Divinity Sabrina," and 
from this time on she has been held the Goddess 
of many a class. 

Houghton re-shipped the statue by American 
Express to Springfield and went to Amherst 
planning to conceal it safely the next day, but 
on his arrival in Springfield he found no Sabrina 
waiting for him. The reason for Houghton's 
disappointment laid in the activity of the class 
of '94. When these Even Classmen got wind 



8 SABRINA 

of the Boston banquet they sent one of their 
members, Ben Hyde, ''to get" Sabrina. Hyde, 
once in Boston, speedily traced the box in which 
she had been shipped to the express office and 
there discovered that she had been sent to Spring- 
field in the name of E. R. Houghton that morn- 
ing. He promptly went to Springfield, entered 
the office of the American Express Company, 
and asked if a packing case addressed to E. R. 
Houghton had been received. The clerk answer- 
ing in the affirmative, he then asked him if he 
had not received a notification to reship the box 
immediately to Boston. Hyde was so insistent 
and his manner was so serious that the clerk was 
brought completely to his knees. With his as- 
sistance the statue was loaded on to an east 
bound train in the nick of time. Hyde signed 
the receipt for the box in his own name, and this 
stroke of daring, be it said to his credit, was not 
discovered by the worried clerk. 

On his way to Boston with the statue Hyde 
decided upon his future plans. He telegraphed 
an old servant to meet him at the train, and to 
notify no one of what was going on. When the 
train pulled in, the box was placed in a wagon, 
and Hyde and his servant drove off with it. 

By this time the news had spread abroad and 
for several days Hyde kept up an exciting game 
of "Hyde and Seek." The old servant who was 



EARLY DAYS 9 

very familiar with Boston, proved of great serv- 
ice in concealing the statue by day, and then 
moving it to new and unknown places by night. 
Sabrina is stated to have reposed at this time in 
many parts of Boston, Cambridge, and along 
the water front and in the South End. While 
this game was being played, Hyde had returned 
to Amherst, where he was confronted with ar- 
rest on the charge of forgery by the American 
Express Company. He lost no time in getting 
to New York, and with a promptitude which 
was characteristic of his splendid daring and 
quick judgment throughout this entire escapade, 
took a steamer for Europe, and remained abroad 
for a few months while the disturbance he had 
kicked up died down. 

The class of '93, justly angered at having lost 
their Goddess, made every effort to apprehend 
Hyde, but Hyde Senior, looking further into the 
matter, discovered that the class of '93 had no 
legal title to Sabrina; that it had been stolen 
from Amherst College by a previous class, and 
accordingly he interviewed the officials of the 
Express Company and explained that the entire 
affair was a huge college joke. Together, they 
agreed that the matter should be dropped unless 
the college should request that they take action. 
Hyde now returned and was welcomed by the 
men of his class as the hero of the hour. 



10 SABRINA 

Ninety-four at once took action to celebrate 
their new possession of the Goddess in a fitting 
way. Plans were laid for a banquet to be held 
at Brattleboro, Vermont, this spot being chosen 
because it reduced the possibilities of pursuit to 
the minimum. 

A special train was chartered on the New 
London and Northern R. R., now the Central 
Vermont, and was held in waiting back of the 
hat factory. The entire class reached it in 
good order, and as the train slowly moved away 
the strains of a song since become well known 
upon the campus were heard for the first time. 
The song was written especially for the occasion 
by Ned Burnham, and is as follows; 

"All hail! Sabrina dear, 
The Widow of each passing year; 
Long may she live and be 
The Widow of posterity." 

In the meantime Sabrina had been brought 
from Boston to Brattleboro and here Stone, 
president of '94, and Ben Hyde took her to the 
rear entrance of the Brooks House where the 
class arrived about ten o'clock. The statue was 
unboxed and presented to the class amidst the 
usual applause. After '94 had given vent to all 
its righteous enthusiasm for their recently 
reclaimed divinity, she was loaded into a wagon 
and Stone, accompanied by Hyde, Howe, and 



EARLY DAYS 11 

Smith drove her to the hiding place which had 
been agreed upon beforehand, Hermon C. Har- 
vey, a resident of Chesterfield, N. H., allowing 
Sabrina to be safely tucked away under the 
floor of his barn. 

The men returned to Brattleboro and accom- 
panied the class to Amherst where they arrived 
early the next morning. The rumors of Odd 
Class detective work were rife in college during 
the following year, and this culminated in the 
attempt of '93 to bluff Hyde and Stone into 
betraying the hiding place of the statue. Hyde 
was informed by a stranger that the location of 
the Goddess was known. The Odd Class hoped 
in this way to induce Stone to re-visit the place 
of concealment and then to quietly track him 
there. Hyde, however, proved too astute to be 
deceived by this trick. Later on in the year, 
however, Stone shipped the statue to Hyde in 
Boston, where it was kept until Sabrina was 
turned over to the class of '96 at their Sophomore 
Banquet. 

Ninety-six had its first glimpse of Sabrina in the 
fall of its Freshman year, 1892, at its Class Sup- 
per which was held in the Mansion House in 
Greenfield. To hold a Sabrina Banquet so near 
to Amherst was considered a daring innovation, 
but arrangements had been carefully worked out 
beforehand: a special train had been chartered, 



12 SABRINA 

and all was made ready. As the class was about 
to board the train they discovered to their con- 
sternation that large numbers of '95 and '93 were 
already inside. No one, save the guardians knew 
where the supper was to be. A rumor was 
quietly spread about by the Even Classes that 
the banquet was to be held at Brattleboro, and 
when the train arrived at Millers Falls '96 was 
called out on the platform, where they politely 
offered to fight the classes of '95 and '93. This 
offer being refused in equally polite terms, various 
enterprising Even Classmen shut the doors of 
the coaches, and the train was ordered out of the 
station. Thus, the Odd Classmen were com- 
pletely outwitted, but this happening so alarmed 
the guardians that it was deemed advisable not 
to bring Sabrina to Greenfield. The banquet, 
nevertheless, was held and proved more success- 
ful than recent banquets. 

Ninety-six was to see its Goddess, however, and 
this event took place when they held their Sopho- 
more banquet at Nassau, N. H. A special train 
transported the class to Nassau. All this time 
Sabrina had been concealed in a sausage factory 
in Boston, from where she was shipped in care of 
Stone. At the banquet she was formally turned 
over to '96, Charles Staples being appointed 
guardian. Accounts of this banquet describe 
the old custom of carrying the Goddess into the 



EARLY DAYS 13 

banquet hall on the shoulders of the football men 
of the class. She was enthusiastically received, 
and as usual, occupied her position of honor at the 
table. 

The box in which Sabrina had reached Nassau 
was re-shipped by Staples and this case, in the 
course of time, fell into the hands of the Odd 
Classmen. The box was opened and to their 
great disgust they beheld not the familiar, much 
coveted Goddess, but a heap of paltry scrap iron. 
This happening rather dampened the ardor of 
'95, and we can well imagine the amusement that 
it caused the members of the class of '96. 

Staples had in the meantime secreted the God- 
dess in a cistern in the attic of a house in Bran- 
don, Vermont. Later on in the year this same 
guardian, while attending a dance at Smith Col- 
lege, overheard a certain fair Sophomore telling 
some '95 men that she knew where Sabrina was. 
His consternation increased as he heard the 
young lady describe the location of the Goddess 
exactly, not only saying that it was in Brandon, 
Vermont, but giving the actual details of its con- 
cealment in a cistern. The '95 men appeared to 
be greatly interested, but postponed search, for 
the more present pleasures of the occasion. 
Staples, without stopping to change his evening 
clothes, went directly to Brandon and promptly 
shipped Sabrina to Elba, N. Y. under the guise 



14 SABRINA 

of ''special machinery." Here she was kept 
until turned over to the class of '98. 

This incident illustrates the extent to which 
Sabrina's fame had been noised abroad. As 
later developments revealed, Staple's roommate 
was discovered to have intimated to a girl in 
Boston that he was connected with Sabrina do- 
ings, and on that account had at one time gone 
to Vermont. The remainder of the story is a 
product of the imagination of the young lady, 
and is an interesting sidelight upon the doings of 
Dame Gossip. After the tale was communicated 
to the girl's mother, it gradually found its way 
back to Smith College, where Staples heard it, 
with the alarming results recorded above. 

Ninety-eight held its Freshman Banquet at 
Hartford but due to the pressing activity of '97, 
Sabrina did not grace the affair. Samuel B. Fur- 
bish was selected as guardian, and under his gen- 
eralship Sabrina was brought to the Sophomore 
Banquet of the class, held at the Putnam House in 
Bennington, Vermont. Furbish journeyed to 
Rotterdam Junction, New York, where he re- 
ceived the statue, which he immediately shipped 
to Bennington. 

This banquet was a brilliant affair. Sabrina 
appeared upon the shoulders of the football 
heroes, and was placed upon a large divan near 
the head table. She was greeted in prescribed 




72 
P 

Oh 

o 
o 



EARLY DAYS 15 

form, and then quickly disappeared. After the 
class had returned to Amherst, Furbish re-packed 
the statue and started out on a tedious journey 
by wagon for the New York boundary line. 
Arriving at Cambridge, N.Y., the box was shipped 
to Albany, where it was concealed in a ware- 
house. Here it remained until the Fall of 1897 
when it was turned over by Furbish to E. E. 
Green, the new guardian of the class of 1900. 

Sabrina appeared to the class of 1900 on Mon- 
day evening November 1, 1897, in the Hotel 
Mohican in New London where their banquet 
was held. Careful arrangements had been made 
beforehand. The Goddess was taken from Al- 
bany to New Haven where Green discovered 
that the last train for New London had gone. 
This was on the day of the banquet. But upon 
putting up a good story about the urgent neces- 
sity of getting his '^machine" to New London 
that night, arrival was effected. The statue 
was taken to the hotel, and as the class sat about 
the board, Sabrina was ushered in by four men. 
After she had been greeted and given the cus- 
tomary ovation, she was again whisked away 
and started on her travels. 

Green set out in a wagon on a forty mile jour- 
ney across state in the face of a howling storm. 
After several hours of the most hectic adventur- 
ing the wagon broke down. Temporary repairs 



16 SABRINA 

were made and the journey continued to where 
a new team was kept in waiting. Here it was 
found necessary to wait for further repairs and it 
was not until early morning that they resumed 
their flight. Arriving at the railroad station, the 
statue was shipped to Albany where it remained 
until it was given into the custody of the class of 
1902. 

Members of the class of '99, although having 
no advance information of the banquet in New 
London, arrived there the morning afterwards. 
They attempted by all possible means to trace 
Sabrina after she left the hotel, and although 
large sums of money were offered, no authentic 
information was uncovered. It was rumored 
that Sabrina was removed and placed beneath 
the waters of the lake nearby and that the class 
of '99 had taken her from this resting place and 
had secreted her themselves after the Even Class- 
men had returned to college. This, however, 
turned out to be nothing more than an imagina- 
tive writing of a reporter for a local newspaper, 
and of those '99 men who had made a strenuous 
but unsuccessful attempt to recover the statue 
for the Odd Classes. 

The banquet of the class of 1902 was similar 
in many ways to preceding affairs. The God- 
dess had been turned over to Robert Cleeland by 
Green, and after an arm of the statue which had 



EARLY DAYS 17 

been broken on the adventurous trip related 
above had been repaired, Sabrina was shipped to 
Springfield and stored in the factory of Kibbe 
Brothers, the trip being accomplished without 
difficulty. The original plan, to hold the ban- 
quet at the Hotel Wellington, North Adams, was 
discovered by Odd Classmen, necessitating a 
change, and as a result the supper was held at 
the Hotel Worthy in Springfield. Again it was 
thought risky to bring the statue so near to 
Amherst, but the banquet was held without any 
untoward event. After her appearance Sabrina 
was again hidden away in the Kibbe factory. 

Odd Class activity was strong during this 
period in the college. 1904 had great difficulty 
in selecting a guardian upon whom suspicion did 
not attach, but Joseph B. Eastman was finally 
selected. Making an ingenious excuse that his 
uncle had died and that he was on his way to 
attend the funeral, Eastman went to Springfield 
on May 4, 1902. The next day he and Cleeland 
took Sabrina from the factory and shipped her to 
New London. The box was taken to the second 
story of the Massasoit House where she awaited 
the arrival of the Class of 1894. When all had 
taken their places Sabrina was ushered into the 
room, greeted with great enthusiasm, and the 
usual mystic rites having been performed, the 
Goddess disappeared. Eastman shipped her by 



18 SABRINA 

the Norwich Hne to New York City where she 
was hidden in a store-house on West Street. 

Ralph W. Wheeler was chosen the guardian 
of 1906. This class held their banquet at the 
Murray Hill Hotel, New York on May 9, 1904, 
and two days before, Wheeler removed the 
statue to the hotel. The class arrived next 
day and the Goddess made her appearance. 
This banquet was unusual in that it was held at 
high noon. Afterwards the statue was hidden 
in the second story of a machine shop in Man- 
hattan. 

Breaking all tradition the same city was again 
chosen as the place in which to hold the next 
Sabrina Banquet, that of the class of 1908. 
Fayette F. Read, the new guardian, after the 
usual banqueting ceremonies had taken place at 
the Hotel Astor on March 19th, 1906, took the 
Goddess to a Fifth Avenue warehouse where she 
was left for a week, after which he removed her 
to Holyoke. From there she was taken up the 
river and hidden in a log cabin near the bank. 



NINETEEN TEN 

WHEN the class of 1910 came into the 
possession of Sabrina they decided to 
stimulate a wider interest in the tra- 
dition by showing it to the entire college. Plans 
were laid to bring it through town during Prom 
time, and the particular event chosen was the 
Williams baseball game. Max Shoop, then guar- 
dian, arranged with Green, 1912, to bring his 
machine to college a few days ahead of time, so 
that no suspicion might attach to its presence. 
Sabrina was at this time in the cottage of Read, 
guardian of '08, and on May 24th, Fink, presi- 
dent of 1910, Francis, Henry and Shoop of '10, 
and Corwin and Green of '12, took the statue from 
its hiding place and brought it back to Amherst, 
where it was secreted over night in the cellar of 
the house of John Henry. The next afternoon 
secret instructions were given the entire class of 
1910 to assemble at Henry's barn that evening. 
They foregathered there and by candle light they 
saw Sabrina. 

Her presence within the college town was a 
complete surprise and was a breach of tradition, 
for Sabrina had not been in Amherst for the last 
fifteen years. When the class had left their 

19 



20 SABRINA 

Goddess, the six men mentioned above put 
Sabrina into Green's car and took her to the 
home of Mr. Toole, Hving near Sunderland, where 
she was left over night. 

On the next afternoon, which was a Wednes- 
day, at two o'clock the undergraduates marched 
to Pratt Field to witness the Williams game. 
This was the signal for the plotters to steal from 
town unobserved. Sabrina was again placed in 
the tonneau of Green's car and preparations were 
made for defence in the event of attack. 

The arrangements at the field were thoroughly 
carried out: each gate was watched, the tele- 
phone in the dressing room was disconnected, 
new locks were kept in readiness to fasten the 
gates after Sabrina had left the field, various men 
were told to put Odd Class motor cycles and 
automobiles which might be used in pursuit out 
of business, and all was made ready. Sabrina 
was to appear on the field at five minutes past 
four. A second machine was to be held in wait- 
ing outside the fence to follow Green's car and 
block pursuit. 

The car bearing Sabrina drove into town at 
four o'clock and when the appointed time had 
come approached the field. Williams was at bat 
in the first half of the fifth inning. The ma- 
chine with Sabrina, carefully concealed, entered 
the ball grounds and casually took its place 



NINETEEN TEN 21 

alongside the other cars present, whose occu- 
pants had no idea of the event about to take 
place. As the inning closed Green started for- 
ward and ran his car down second base line as 
the Goddess was raised on high. After a mo- 
ment's astonished pause, the crowd broke loose, 
and the air was filled with conflicting shouts of 
Sabrina and non-Sabrina patrons. 

The car quickly disappeared and the gates 
were shut behind her by men told off for this 
duty, and was seen speeding on its way toward 
Northhampton, being followed in the rear by 
another car, and Bedford and Ladd, '10, on 
motor cycles. Arriving at the crossroads in 
Hadley, the second car was sent on to '^Hamp" 
to baffle pursuers, and the motor cycles returned 
to Amherst. Sabrina then made her way 
quickly down the river road and was hidden in 
the cellar of a jewelry store in Holyoke. 

A fact which adds excitement to this escapade 
was the casual remark of a certain tradesman 
who had heard of the gathering in Henry's barn 
the night previous, and had actually seen Sa- 
brina taken away later. This man dropped the 
remark to a student who had happened into the 
store that Sabrina was going to be brought to 
the game that day. As luck would have it this 
man was an Even Classman and at once com- 
municated this information to the Sabrina guar- 



22 SABRINA 

dians, who in turn hastened to impress upon the 
tradesman the error of his ways. 

Not content with this coup, 1910 planned 
fresh adventures. The class of '94 had requested 
that Sabrina appear at their reunion banquet 
at the coming Commencement. Although this 
seemed to be taking enormous chances, Fink 
and Shoop decided that it should be done to show 
the real respect all true Sabrina men had for the 
class of '94. 

Notwithstanding the fact that these two men 
were constantly under observation they ar- 
ranged the plans. On June 28th they left 
Springfield with two machines and proceeded to 
Holyoke where they removed Sabrina. Here 
they were joined by Francis, Seligman, Corwin, 
Broughton and Johns, and they proceeded up 
the road to Hadley, after leaving the rear of the 
jewelry store with Sabrina, Fink remaining this 
time in Amherst as a scout. 

The '94 banquet was to be held in Hitchcock 
Hall and Shoop was to call Fink three times at 
different points along the line to see if the coast 
was clear, so that they might beat a hasty re- 
treat even up to the last moment. If no danger 
was foreseen during the last few moments, the 
machines were to stop near Hitchcock Hall and 
Sabrina was to be taken to the doorway of the 
banquet hall and a picture taken of her. The 



NINETEEN TEN 23 

plans worked out successfully, the various calls 
going through in fine shape. The machines 
entered Amherst by the Northampton Road, 
and while the lights were being lit the last call 
was made, and everything was reported quiet. 
This was the signal for action. 

Driving quickly by Hitchcock Hall, the ma- 
chines stopped and Sabrina was taken up to the 
door and a flashlight taken during tumultuous 
applause. Immediately she was put back in the 
car and disappeared down South Pleasant Street 
and around by Blake Field and out on to the 
^'Hamp Road." They narrowly avoided a trap 
in front of Chi Psi which had been planned by 
Wheelock, 1911, who was the chief instigator of 
all Odd Class opposition at that time, but this 
attempt was a minute too late to be of any avail. 
Sabrina was taken back to Holyoke where she 
was hidden in the jewelry store. 

Much credit deserves to be given to the class 
of 1910 and to the men in that class chiefly re- 
sponsible for Sabrina who had committed the 
unprecedented and daring acts of bringing the 
Goddess into Amherst where she had not been 
for many years, twice during a month. The 
first time the Odd Classmen were completely 
surprised and offered little if any opposition, but 
the second time they were naturally on the alert 
for the appearance of the statue, and not with- 



24 SABRINA 

standing the fact that a great many of the 
Alumni, both Odd and Even, were in Amherst 
at the time, the 1910 men again brought Sabrina 
safely into town. These two daring feats did 
much to enhven and vitalize the tradition that 
had become attenuated by repetition of nothing 
but Sabrina Banquets every two years. 



NINETEEN TWELVE 

NINETEEN TWELVE held its Sabrina 
Banquet in the Hotel Astor on the 4th of 
March 1910. She was taken to the hotel 
by Cornell, Henry, Seligman and Shoop of the 
class of '10, who removed her from her place 
of hiding in a down town bank where she had 
been taken the day before from Holyoke, and 
took her to the roof of the Astor where she 
was unpacked and immediately carried into the 
banquet hall amidst ''All Hails." After she had 
been duly caressed, she was formally turned over 
to the class of 1912. The Goddess was taken 
away at once, re-packed and again stored in the 
bank. The following Monday she was shipped to 
a small town on the Maine Coast where she re- 
mained for some time. 

This banquet was held in spite of a well-planned 
attempt of the Odd Classmen to steal the Goddess. 
Wheelock knew that she was hidden in the above 
mentioned bank and gained entrance to the build- 
ing. A prolonged search failed to reveal the much 
coveted statue and accordingly a staff of de- 
tectives was employed to watch the structure 
day and night. It was never known just when 
Sabrina was removed from the bank under the 
eyes of these professional guardians, but certain 

25 



26 SABRINA 

it is, that she made her appearance at the 1912 
banquet in the manner chronicled above. 

Sabrina did not long remain in her resting 
place on the Maine coast for she was sent by- 
Harold Whiteman, guardian of the class of 1912, 
to Buffalo where she was secreted in the house 
of Charles J. Staples, who had been the guardian 
of '96. 

It was again decided that Sabrina should ap- 
pear in Amherst at Commencement time and 
that the class that should have the opportunity 
of seeing her should be 1900, then holding its 
tenth reunion. Staples brought Sabrina with 
him from Buffalo and took her to the home of the 
Rev. Mr. Whiteman, a brother of the 1912 guar- 
dian, who lived in Greenfield, Mass. Here she 
remained for a few days before being taken to 
Amherst. 

On the Monday afternoon of this Commence- 
ment there was a ball game with Wesleyan, and 
the Odd Classmen again, under the direction of 
Wheelock, suspecting that Sabrina might appear 
at this time, kept careful watch throughout the 
game, but their efforts were of no avail for 
Sabrina did not appear. During the day 
Wheeler, Bauman, Hubbard, Miller and White- 
man '12, and Seligman, Francis and Shoop '10 
left town and proceeded to Greenfield where 
they found Sabrina. The men proceeded again 




S. D. CHAMBERLAIN 
1914 Guardian 



NINETEEN TWELVE 27 

according to a pre-arranged plan to Amherst, 
telephoning at certain stated times to Cornell, 
'10, who had remained at Amherst to report any 
activity of the Odd Classmen. Repeated phone 
calls revealed the fact that everything was quiet 
in Amherst so far as Odd Class activity was con- 
cerned, and Sabrina sped on her way into town 
and arrived in front of the Psi U. house about 
eight o'clock. This time, Sabrina was not re- 
moved from the car; she was lifted to the view 
of the 1900 men who had not seen her since their 
banquet thirteen years before, and a flashlight 
was taken. It happened that the Kellogg Prize 
Speaking Contest was just over and the com- 
mon and streets were filled with people. After 
remaining but a few minutes before the cheering, 
enthusiastic Even Classmen, Sabrina with her 
guardians started from town, this time not 
towards Hamp, but towards Holyoke over the 
Notch. Once safely out of danger of pursuit, 
Sabrina was transferred from the hired car in 
which she had been taken to Amherst to one 
which belonged to Wheeler, '10, and was then 
placed in an old barn in Holyoke. The packing 
case used for Sabrina's transportation had mean- 
while been shipped from Greenfield to Holyoke 
and the next day she was again boxed and carted 
to the Holyoke station. 

Now began one of the most thrilling adven 



28 SABRINA 

tures in all Sabrina's checkered career, during 
which she was frequently on the point of capture, 
and more than once eluded her pursuer only 
through a trick of fate. 

The intention had been to send Sabrina to the 
home of Staples, in Buffalo, immediately, but 
owing to a delay on the railroads she did not 
leave Holyoke until two days after her appear- 
ance at the 1900 banquet. Whiteman and Read 
accompanied her to Springfield where she was 
again held up, this time waiting for an express 
car. Whiteman feared recognition in the Spring- 
field station and went at once to Buffalo, leaving 
Read to guard the statue. The express authori- 
ties had been warned by shippers in Holyoke to 
allow no one near the box, and one of the officials 
ordered Read away from it. Read left, being 
fairly sure that if the express officials were obey- 
ing instructions so implicitly there was little 
to fear from Odd Class attempts. Later in the 
day the box was shipped to Buffalo. Before it 
was shipped Read had seen detectives measuring 
the box, and promptly telegraphed Whiteman in 
Buffalo that pursuit was probable. Whiteman, 
however, received the box and took it to Staple's 
house on Parker Avenue. He remained in Buf- 
falo all that day, but as there was no sign of pur- 
suit he left for home. 

An account in the Year Book of the class of 



NINETEEN TWELVE 29 

1911 furnishes the basis for the chronichng of 
subsequent events. Wheelock, 1911, the man 
who was the prime mover in all non-Sabrina 
demonstrations, had discovered that Whiteman 
was the 1912 guardian. That Sabrina would 
appear in Amherst at Commencement was known 
almost to a surety. These suspicions were con^ 
firmed by the appearance of Whiteman in com- 
pany with Staples, '96 guardian, in the Green- 
field station where they were seen by an Odd 
Classman. Whiteman was accordingly watched. 
It was not suspected that Sabrina would be 
shown at the banquet of the class of 1900, for 
1907 was holding its Class Supper in the same 
hotel, The Draper, and the risk seemed too great 
to be taken. However Sabrina was shown at 
the reunion headquarters of 1900 in Amherst, on 
Monday night, and the Odd Classmen were 
caught napping. 

Wheelock immediately set out to trace the stat- 
ue's flight and soon learned that it had gone down 
the Holyoke road and been shifted into another 
automobile, but from here on the trail was lost. 
Wheelock thought she had been shipped back to 
Greenfield and accordingly went there next day. 
Returning to Amherst he shadowed Whiteman 
closely, thinking that he would soon slip out of 
town to tend to the final hiding of the statue. 
He learned that Whiteman was going to Green- 



30 SABRINA 

field next morning and would depart later in the 
day for Rochester, so Wednesday morning Bates 
and Wheelock took the car for Northampton. 
To their surprise the Even Class guardian also 
took this car. To further add to their dismay 
he did not take the Greenfield train at North- 
hampton, but sent a telegram to his brother say- 
ing he would be unable to see him in Greenfield. 
Whiteman now took the train to Springfield 
whither he was followed by the two Odd Class- 
men. As they neared the Holyoke station, 
Whiteman suddenly jumped from the train. 
Here he engaged in a short conversation with a 
person who seemed to be expecting him. He 
then entered the train again. Bates and Whee- 
lock, following close on his trail, caught the train 
as it pulled out, and when the latter again dropped 
off the train at Riverside, they waited until the 
train moved out of the station and then jumped 
off, out of sight of their ward. With great diffi- 
culty the two men followed the Sabrina guardian 
for a while but eventually lost him in a crowd. 
They promptly returned to Holyoke where 
Wheelock made his way to the Baggage Room in 
hopes of finding the statue. Here he saw the 
man with whom Whiteman had spoken a few 
moments before, and under pretense of looking 
for some lost baggage he searched the office 
and soon discovered a box bearing the address 



NINETEEN TWELVE 31 

of Staples. This, he was certain, contained 
Sabrina. 

Wheelock and Bates left the office planning to 
come back later and put Sabrina on a train, but 
in this move they were anticipated by White- 
man. They promptly turned their steps toward 
Springfield, notifying Pinkerton headquarters 
that "the box" had been discovered at Holyoke, 
and requesting that men follow and watch it. 

Upon reaching Springfield, Bates was left to 
watch while Wheelock went to New York to se- 
cure funds for further pursuit. Bates wired him 
that Sabrina had gone on to Buffalo, and he 
promptly caught the train from New York 
arriving in Buffalo about ten o'clock Thursday 
morning. Here he found the box, with the 
Pinkertons on guard. It was shortly afterward 
dehvered to Staple's house and Wheelock tele- 
graphed to Amherst for reserves. On Friday 
morning Hubbard '07, Stott and Williams, '11 
arrived. 

It was accordingly decided to attempt the 
capture of Sabrina the next day and inasmuch as 
the first move was to get Mr. Staples out of town, 
Wheelock called at Staples' office, representing 
himself as being a Mr. Francis Cogswell Wickes. 
He told Mr. Staples that ''he had recently in- 
herited a large sum of money from his uncle in 
Syracuse and that as the heirs were going to 



32 SABRINA 

contest the will, he wanted Mr. Staples to go 
down to Syracuse for a conference with his 
cousins." After some cross-examining Mr. 
Staples consented, and it was agreed that he 
should go down that afternoon, ''Wickes" to 
join him at Rochester. 

Detectives confirmed Mr. Staples departure 
that afternoon, and immediately Wheelock, 
Clarke, Hubbard and Stott went to Staples' 
house with a machine. They planned to arrive 
there, represent themselves as Even Classmen 
and present evidence that Whiteman had sent 
them there to remove Sabrina, and in this way 
make the capture. A telegram was to be de- 
livered just after their arrival, supposedly signed 
by Whiteman, to bear them out in their story. 

But here an unkind fate upset their ingenious 
plans: their machine blew a tire and they ar- 
rived at Staple's house after the fake telegram 
came, instead of before. This telegram read: 

''Charles J. Staples, 246 Parker Avenue, 

Buffalo, N. Y. 

Rochester, 6.24 P. M. 

''Hiding place discovered. Odd Classmen on 
way to Buffalo on train to seize it. I am watched. 
Am sending Miles with men in machine to trans- 
fer. Deliver it to them and come with it your- 
self." 

(Signed) Harold B. Whiteman. 



NINETEEN TWELVE 33' 

When the men arrived only Mrs. Staples was 
at home, and as she did not know to which classes 
her visitors belonged, she refused them admit- 
tance. They asked for Mr. Staples and ap- 
peared greatly surprised when told he was not at 
home. Wheelock, introducing himself as Miles, 
'12, produced a note supposedly written by 
Whiteman directing him to go for the statue. 
Mrs. Staples informed Wheelock that Sabrina 
was not in the house and that she had not re- 
ceived any telegram such as he had told her of, 
and added that she would not believe them until 
she heard directly from Whiteman. Wheelock, 
playing his last trump, promptly told Mrs. 
Staples that Whiteman had said that if he could 
escape his followers he would wait for them at 
the Hotel Richmond with a machine in which to 
transfer Sabrina, and that in all probability she 
could get him there now. Williams had been 
stationed in this hotel and was to answer any 
telephone calls for Staples. Mrs. Staples 
promptly called, but here again fate intervened 
between the Odd Classmen and their much 
coveted goal. The telephone had just been 
taken out. 

In the meantime Mr. Staples, realizing that he 
had been duped, telegraphed his wife to be care- 
ful. Mrs. Staples promptly summoned the 
police and the carefully laid plans for the cap- 



34 SABRINA 

ture of Sabrina by the class of 1911 were broken 
up once and for all. Wheelock and his band 
retreated with as good grace as they might, and 
after shaking hands with Mrs. Staples, departed. 
Later on they learned that Sabrina was taken 
away in her box at 3.30 in the afternoon of July 
4, and no trace of her destination was found. 

Thus ended an exciting chapter in the life and 
travels of a much followed Goddess. Combina- 
tions of luck and bungling had robbed the Odd 
Classmen of their best chance of obtaining pos- 
session of Sabrina. But the war was still to be 
waged. 

Wheelock's account of this affair in the Year 
Book, mentioned before, concludes as follows. 
''Some day, however, the Evens will bungle, and 
there will be no Mrs. Staples to save them, and 
fortune may not favor them with flat tires and 
missing telephones, and the police may not be 
quite so near at hand, and then there will be a 
different result in this most unequal contest." 

Truly, a great prophecy! 

The Even Classes were so worried by the at- 
tempt led by Wheelock to rob them of their 
Deity, that Sabrina did not again venture from 
her hiding place until the banquet of the class 
of 1914 which was held at the Hotel Rensselaer 
in Troy, New York. 

Sydney Chamberlain was appointed guardian 



NINETEEN TWELVE 35 

of '14 and every precaution was taken in making 
arrangements. 

Wednesday morning, February 14th, 1912 the 
Even Classmen left Amherst for Albany, all but 
two or three of the class of 1914 being present as 
well as several seniors. They spent the day in 
Albany and that evening gathered in the lobby of 
the Hotel Ten Eyck. Stuart, '12, took the men 
to Troy by trolley where they went at once to the 
Hotel Rensselaer. During the dinner a tele- 
gram was received from Fink in Boston, stating 
that Wheelock, then in New York, and Blades, 
'09, at that time in Brockton, had received news 
of the banquet and were planning to take im- 
mediate action. Sabrina was accordingly put 
in her box and sent immediately to Buffalo 
where she was again secreted in the house of 
Staples '96. 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 

WHEN commencement of 1913 ap- 
proached, the powers that be, at the 
instigation of Max Shoop, came to the 
conclusion that it was time to bring Sabrina to the 
attention of the college body and the returning 
classes. This commencement was deemed an es- 
pecially auspicious occasion inasmuch as a large 
number of Even Classes were to be back, and par- 
ticularly as 1910 was holding its third reunion. 

As the result of a conference between Shoop, 
and Chamberlain, '14, who was the guardian at 
that time, it was definitely arranged to bring 
Sabrina into town on the day of the Dartmouth 
baseball game, and if possible, to drive her in a 
machine on to Pratt Field and to exhibit her 
before the commencement crowd. 

The details were left entirely to Chamberlain, 
who at a later date laid his plans before McGay 
'14, the only other man in college who knew of the 
Lady's present whereabouts. These two then 
chose S. G. Hubbard, R. M. Kimball, W. O. 
Morrow and Heald, '14, and W. H. Smith '16, 
the latter two of whom were to drive the two 
cars composing the expedition, to assist. The 
guardian swore his assistants to eternal secrecy, 
cautioning them that the success of their scheme 

36 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 37 

lay entirely in keeping any knowledge of it from 
the Odd Classmen, and assuring them that every- 
thing would be plain sailing if such were the case. 

The plan outlined to the conspirators was that 
Morrow would proceed to Buffalo where Sabrina 
was in the keeping of C. J. Staples, '96, and con- 
duct her to Springfield. At that point, he was 
to be met by the Even Classmen. Sabrina was 
then to be taken to Kibbe's candy factory, in 
Springfield, unpacked from her box and then 
placed in Smith's machine and taken to the home 
of Hubert Barton, '10, in South Amherst. In 
the meantime McGay and Kimball were assigned 
the task of surreptitiously cutting away a part of 
the fence on the western side of Pratt Field, and 
then replacing it in such a manner that it might 
be instantly removed in case the main exit 
to the field should be blocked. 

It was decided to let a few other even classmen 
in on the plans an hour or so before the event 
was to transpire for the purpose of having more 
help in case of trouble. Men were to be sta- 
tioned at both entrances of the field with pad- 
locks and chains, one man at the underpass with 
a flag to signal that the road was clear, another 
at the Amherst House to receive telephone 
messages from the automobile party as it ap- 
proached town, and still another at the Delta Up- 
silon House to keep watch on that part of town. 



38 SABRINA 

It was planned to start from Barton's house 
with the statue in Smith's car and proceed to- 
wards Pratt Field, stopping several times to 
phone the lookouts. Arriving at the east gate 
of the field, which was to be in charge of a '14 
man, the car was to enter the field, drive across 
the diamond, and make its way out by way of the 
Hamp gate, where Heald '14, in his car. Buffing- 
ton '14, Curtis '14 and Ames '16, on their motor 
cycles, armed with revolvers, were to be waiting 
and follow as a rear guard. 

Chamberlain realized that he was under sus- 
picion and knew that his absence from town would 
be a clear announcement that something was 
likely to happen. For this reason he delegated 
Morrow as his representative and sent him to 
Buffalo to meet Staples, receive Sabrina from 
him and take her to Springfield. 

Inasmuch as Staples and Morrow were not 
acquainted with each other, the latter carried 
with him a message from Professor Genung in 
''Nungie's" own handwriting, that was to serve 
as a pass port. This precaution was taken, for 
they knew Staples would be extremely suspicious 
owing to the nearly disastrous results of the 
expedition led by Wheelock, '11, several years 
before, and that he would require some very 
definite proof of Morrow's identity and authority 
before delivering his precious charge. 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 39 

Such was the case, for when Morrow arrived 
in Buffalo and made himself known to the cus- 
todian he was forced to undergo a very rigid 
examination before Staples finally accepted him 
as Chamberlain's lieutenant. When Staples 
was satisfied that everything was all right, he 
turned the Lady over and Morrow immediately 
consigned Sabrina, packed in her large box, to 
the Express Company for shipment to Kibbe's 
factory, and placed the customary $1000 value 
upon it. The box was labeled machinery for a 
''break down" job, and orders were to rush it 
through with all possible speed. 

All this took place on Sunday, the day before 
the appearance was to take place, and Sabrina 
was to leave Buffalo on the three o'clock train 
that afternoon, arriving in Springfield at 3:30 
A. M. Monday morning. 

Sunday night in Amherst, the first of the 
carefully laid plans miscarried, for while Kimball 
and McGay were endeavoring to saw through the 
fence at Pratt Field, they were frightened away 
by a negro living in a nearby house who had been 
awakened by the noise they were making. Late 
that evening, they all met in Springfield on an 
unfrequented side street and waited in the two 
motors until it was time to meet the 3:30 train. 

Great was the disappointment, however, when 
at last the train arrived without the box; the long 



40 SABRINA 

hours till dawn dragged slowly on, numerous 
trains arrived from the West, but none with the 
expected burden. At 6 A. M. Morrow wired 
Staples and Chamberlain phoned the faithful 
watchman at Kibbe's of the latest turn of events, 
for he was as eager for the experience as any of 
the others, inasmuch as he had helped in other 
escapades in former years. Not until 10 o'clock 
did word come from Buffalo and then only to 
say that a tracer was being sent, but no real news 
of Sabrina was to be had. 

Many were the misgivings and fears that went 
through the minds of those men as they finally 
saw their carefully prepared plans were doomed 
to failure and as seemed likely at that moment, 
that they had undoubtedly been outwitted by 
the Odds and Sabrina had passed to other hands. 
Not until Tuesday morning did definite word 
come from Staples, and then it was to say that 
the box had never left Buffalo, due to some 
mix-up in the office of the Express Company. 

It was then too late to bring the Lady through 
that Commencement, so, keyed up as they were 
with excitement and anticipation, Shoop and 
Chamberlain decided to cause a little fun at the 
Lawn Fete and give the Odd Classes something 
to ponder about. With this in mind, Ferguson 
'16 was secured to use his car and with Avirett '16 
under a robe and several others on the running 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 41 

board, they appeared in front of Walker Hall 
while the Lawn Fete was in progress. Word had 
already been passed around for the Even Class- 
men to meet there at 10 o'clock. In the dark- 
ness Avirett raised himself up under his covering, 
there was great cheering and singing of ^'All 
Hail," and the automobile disappeared, leaving 
the onlookers under the impression that they had 
actually seen the Goddess. Opinion was quite 
evenly divided as to whether or not Sabrina had 
actually been present, until Chamberlain wrote 
an article for ''The Monthly" in 1916 clearing up 
the episode. Naturally, those who were on the 
inside kept a close mouth and smiled a knowing 
smile, whenever the subject was mentioned. 

All during commencement the Odd Classmen 
were busy and had things carried through as 
Chamberlain had planned, the subsequent his- 
tory of Sabrina might have been very different. 
Atwater and Lyon '15 were patrolling the town 
in a car, the underpass was blocked and other 
guards were stationed on the road to Holyoke, 
so both sides were bitterly disappointed at the 
turn affairs took and all silently expressed the 
hope: ''better luck next time." 

After the unsuccessful attempt to bring Sabrina 
into Amherst in June, 1913, she remained peace- 
fully in Buffalo during the summer and until 
February of 1914. No efforts were made to 



42 SABRINA 

show her that fall, for the reason that McGay, 
Chamberlain, and Morrow were all on the foot- 
ball team and did not care to entrust her safety 
to others. They thought it best to postpone 
any attempt until the banquet of 1914 and 1916, 
which was to be held during the late winter. 

In February of 1914, Chamberlain went to 
New York where he met Shoop and Burt, '12, 
the two previous guardians, to discuss plans for 
the coming banquet. This consultation was a 
necessary part of the guardian's duties, because 
it was always required that the two preceding 
guardians give their consent before any move 
might be made. 

The general sentiment at this conference was 
that the banquet be held as near as possible to 
Amherst, for it was felt that an extra stimulus 
was needed to give the Odd Classmen encourage- 
ment in their pursuit. Chamberlain was anxious 
to have it held in Pittsfield and as there was no 
objection, that town was decided upon. 

A week later, the guardian journeyed to Pitts- 
field to meet John Downes, the manager of the 
Wendell Hotel. Chamberlain outlined the mat- 
ter to Manager Downes, told him of the secrecy 
required, and found Mr. Downes a most en- 
thusiastic and helpful assistant. All plans for 
the forthcoming dinner were made on the spot 
so no further communication would be required. 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 43 

In the meantime, G. W. Washburn, President 
of 1916, had appointed a banquet committee, 
composed of WilHam Esty, Edward Goodridge, 
Stewart Rider, and Winthrop Smith, to take 
care of such matters as menu cards, special trains, 
speakers, and informing the Even Classmen in 
secret of the time of departure. Smith was 
chosen to arrange a train schedule unknown 
even to the rest of the committee. A week 
ahead of time the committee were told that the 
date set was March 18th, and that a special 
train would leave Amherst at noon, and that the 
men should be taken to Springfield where seats 
had been engaged at Poll's theatre for everyone. 
The classes were to be allowed to think the 
dinner was to be held in Springfield and were to 
be told to meet outside of the theatre; further 
than that the committee was to say nothing. 

W. O. Morrow was again commissioned to go 
to Buffalo, which he proceeded to do, leaving 
Amherst on Tuesday and reaching his destination 
late that night. This time he experienced no 
difficulty with Mr. Staples, as the latter knew 
him well on account of their meeting the year 
before. Wednesday morning, Sabrina was 
turned over to Morrow who in turn delivered her 
to the Express Company, consigning her for ship- 
ment to John Downes in Pittsfield. Remember- 
ing his previous failure, Morrow took no chances 



44 SABRINA 

and travelled with the box that there might be 
no mistake or delays. Everything went smoothly 
and he reached Pittsfield the afternoon before the 
others arrived. Mr. Downes secreted Sabrina 
in the wine cellar where she reposed safely under 
lock and key. While there alone, Morrow was 
extremely worried, for Staples had shown him a 
wire that he had just received, saying, ''Ship 
Box of Paper to Westfield," signed, ''S. D. 
Chamberlain." This appeared authentic enough 
as Sabrina was always referred to as a ''Box of 
Paper" in communication between Chamberlain 
and himself. However, Morrow assured him 
that the plans had not been changed, but it 
was sufficient to show them that the Odd Class- 
men knew more than they should, and were 
planning trouble. 

Early Wednesday morning a group, consisting 
of Chamberlain, McGay, Kimball, '14, and Rob- 
inson '16, left Amherst at different times to meet 
in Springfield. Thereafter, they departed in Rob- 
inson's automobile for Pittsfield. It was deemed 
advisable to take along a car, in which to carry 
the statue away from the hotel, should they be 
forced to move hurriedly; and it was thought best 
to have a car that could not be traced, rather than 
a public taxi whose driver might easily be bribed 
to give important information. They had not 
been gone long when a heavy snow storm began 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 45 

to make travelling difficult; they were well into 
the Berkshires, when, after several mishaps, 
they saw it was impossible to proceed further by 
automobile, and so they stopped at Chester and 
went the rest of the way by train. 

In the meantime, back in Amherst, the classes 
of 1914 and 1916 assembled at the B. & M. 
Station at noontime by ones and twos. So 
carefully had the announcement been made by 
the Committee, that the special train was well 
on its way to Springfield before the Odds realized 
the Sabrina banquet was about to take place. 
The worshippers of the Goddess went calmly 
from the station to the theatre while the members 
of 1915 were desperately telegraphing and tele- 
phoning all over the surrounding country. Inas- 
much as the Evens apparently had no intention 
of going beyond Springfield, the Odds decided to 
concentrate their efforts on that town and laid 
their plans to that effect. However, their sur- 
prise was great, for when the theatre had finished, 
the committee directed everyone to go to the 
station and board a special train, waiting there 
for them. This was accomplished within a very 
short space of time, and by 5:15 P. M. they were 
headed for Pittsfield where they arrived at six 
thirty. 

The banquet began immediately with no 
interruption from the enemy, although a 1907 



46 SABRINA 

graduate unwittingly put in an appearance and 
had the rare privilege of gazing on Sabrina. As 
soon as the dinner was finished, the Goddess was 
carried in amidst wild yells and shouts of ap- 
proval from her admirers. The strain of ''All 
Hail Sabrina Dear" commenced while the eager 
Sophomores of 1916, who gazed on their cherished 
Goddess for the first time, rushed forth to en- 
velop her in their embrace and place an ardent 
kiss upon her lips. When the enthusiasm had 
somewhat abated, Chamberlain succeeded in 
making himself heard and told of the whereabouts 
of her hiding place during the last two years, at 
the same time announcing that he had been the 
guardian. This fact was greeted with renewed 
cheers, for the element of secrecy regarding the 
guardian was always of the greatest interest, 
continually causing a deal of conjecture. It 
frequently happened that guardians were present 
at such times and were obliged to join in the 
argument expressing their opinion along with 
the rest. Many amusing incidents of this kind 
were wont to happen as the pros and cons of 
various men for the office were set forth. 

Before the banquet, it had been decided that 
the safest place to keep the statue was right in 
the Hotel, and as Manager Downes was agree- 
able, and even offered a room for that purpose, 
Chamberlain had Sabrina taken back to the 




W. H. SMITH 
1916 Guardian 



NINETEEN FOURTEEN 47 

wine room and packed safely away in the box. 
In order to give the Odd Classmen a fake clue, if 
they happened to be in the vicinity, a large box, 
closely resembling the original, was placed in a 
car manned by McGay, Kimball, Robinson, and 
Andrews, '16, which speeded rapidly away to 
the outskirts of the town, where the box was 
broken up and hidden. These men then went to 
Andrew's home in Pittsfield, taking an early 
morning train back to Amherst. 

Back in the Wendell, the party went merrily 
on, for in those days the 18th amendment had 
not even been dreamed of, and there was cause 
for much jubilation. Once again Sabrina had 
shown herself and once again she had departed 
without interference. While half the college 
celebrated, Morrow and Chamberlain were mak- 
ing themselves comfortable in the wine cellar, 
zealously chaperoning Sabrina, lest any ardent 
youth of 1915 enslaved by her attractions, might 
seek to steal her away for his own glorification. 

The time was spent in this manner, cots having 
been brought in, so that the two caretakers were 
able to spend a most comfortable night. They 
had planned to take an early morning train, but 
as Manager Downes reported that two men, 
apparently detectives, had been questioning him 
and endeavoring to get information from the serv- 
ants, it was deemed best to remain under cover 



48 SABRINA 

till later. This they did till late in the after- 
noon, when word was passed to them that the 
coast was clear. As it was not possible to keep 
Sabrina in the wine cellar, the manager turned 
over a room on the sixth floor, where she was 
placed in a closet upon the door of which a spe- 
cial lock was fastened. This having been ac- 
complished. Chamberlain and Morrow left Pitts- 
field for Amherst. 



NINETEEN SIXTEEN 

SEVERAL months after the Pittsfield ban- 
quet, Chamberlain and Smith, '16, took a 
quiet motor trip one Sunday afternoon, the 
destination of which was the scene of the festiv- 
ities just described. On this occasion the former 
guardian introduced the 1916 guardian to Man- 
ager Downes of the Wendell Hotel. This had not 
been possible before, because it was most import- 
ant that the next guardian be kept carefully in the 
background that there might be no suspicion as 
to his identity. As soon as Chamberlain had 
revealed the next custodian to Mr. Downes and 
had assured himself that Sabrina still remained 
safely in the Wendell, the two left for Amherst. 

About the first of June, Smith found an excuse 
to leave town and seized the opportunity to 
journey to Pittsfield where he immediately ob- 
tained the statue, turned it over to the American 
Express Company and consigned it to himself 
in Boston. 

Washburn, '16, had made arrangements with 
his father for the safe-keeping of Sabrina, so 
Smith had her transferred to a train for Brockton 
on arrival in Boston. Unfortunately, he found 
that the express car on the first train was entirely 
filled and as he was in a great hurry, prevailed on 

49 



50 SABRINA 

the locomotive engineer to allow the box to be 
loaded on the tender. Thus, Sabrina travelled for 
thirty odd miles amidst the coal and cinders; 
it was a strange sight and must have caused 
much curiosity, but all went well and they arrived 
safely in Brockton. Here Mr. Washburn met 
Smith with an automobile truck and they carried 
the Goddess to a storehouse of his where she was 
destined to spend considerable of her time for 
the next two years. 

Shortly before college opened in the fall of 
1914, George Washburn arrived in Springfield 
with the Lady and from that point journeyed by 
automobile to Smith's home in South Hadley. 

For three months, the two had been studiously 
planning a campaign for showing Sabrina to the 
student body. Realizing that as the general 
consensus of opinion among the Odd Classes 
was that an appearance would be staged on 
Pratt Field, they decided some other occasion 
would be more auspicious. Their purpose was 
to find a time when most of the college body 
would be gathered together, and likewise a 
situation that would completely surprise every- 
one. At last they agreed upon Chapel Rush. 
For the first time this ancient fracas was to be 
held on the common in front of College Hall. 
This situation had everything in its favor; there 
were two main roads to choose as an exit, and 



NINETEEN SIXTEEN 51 

as the affair was to take place at the very opening 
of college, they felt that the Odds would have 
had no chance to discuss plans for a defense. 
All this having been decided, Washburn and 
Smith arranged their plans in detail. 

Before sunrise on the morning of Thursday, the 
24th of September 1914, Sabrina was placed in 
Smith's motor, covered with robes, and with top 
up and curtains down, the men mentioned above 
proceeded north to Hadley and thence to North 
Amherst. 

The policy decided upon had been to take as 
few into confidence as was possible, for the 
guardians were firmly convinced that secrecy 
and not numbers would go farthest towards 
success. With this in mind, Ed Goodridge and 
Burt Ames, '16, had been asked to be in North 
Amherst early that morning, the latter to bring 
his motorcycle. In addition Gregory, '12, Kim- 
ball and Heald, '14, and Robinson, '16, were 
to act as a rear guard in Gregory's car and Pike 
Gillies, '16,^ was selected to keep the motor party 
in touch with the situation by 'phone. 

At North Amherst, Goodridge took Wash- 
burn's place, as he was obliged to return to 
college to help conduct the Chapel Rush, he 
being class president. Goodridge and Smith, 
followed by Ames, immediately went northward 

^ Killed in Wall Street explosion, September 16, 1920. 



52 SABRINA 

finding a retired spot on a lonely road a mile or 
so above the village where they felt it would be 
safe to remain. It was but 8: 30, with more than 
two hours before the coup was to occur. Smith 
carefully explained the plan to the others and 
together they discussed every eventuality. As 
the Rush was to take place on the common for 
the first time, it was hard to tell how the specta- 
tors would be situated, and whether the road to 
Holyoke would be open. If possible they wished 
to take that road, but if this was not feasible, 
they would take the next best course and go out 
by way of Northampton. 

At eleven o'clock, Ames opened telephone 
communication from a nearby farmhouse with 
Gillies, who was in his room at the Psi U house, 
where he was able to overlook the campus. He 
reported that chapel was then going on and added 
that the aspect of affairs was a bit suspicious, 
for a number of seniors had carried golf sticks 
and baseball bats to chapel instead of canes, as 
was the usual custom. This news was rather 
disquieting to the three men, who pictured flying 
clubs, being directed at their heads, but they 
reassured themselves by looking over their own 
armament, which consisted of a shot gun, two 
Colts, and several bats, and felt that they could 
give a good account of themselves if worst came 
to worst. 



NINETEEN SIXTEEN 53 

At eleven forty, the three Even Classmen, with 
Ames in the lead acting as scout, left their hiding 
place, going to North Amherst and thence 
through the Aggie Campus to the lower part of 
Amity Street. There they found a small house 
well sheltered from the street by trees, and there, 
with the owner's permission, they secluded them- 
selves, lowered the top of the car, and put every- 
thing in readiness for the ride through town. 
Again Ames called Gillies on the phone, and held 
the wire open. Shortly before twelve, the latter 
reported chapel was dismissed, that a large crowd 
had gathered before College Hall to witness the 
Rush, and that a large number of motors were 
lined up on either side of the road. For that 
reason, he advised Hamp road as the best means 
of exit, and they decided to follow his advice. 

Then came the message that the Rush had be- 
gun. Ames hurried out of the house, jumped on 
his machine and started off. The other two, with 
the Lady, were close behind. Up Amity Street 
they went and turned the Amherst House corner. 
There, Gregory's machine with the bodyguard of 
Even Classmen were waiting and followed im- 
mediately behind the car with Sabrina; then came 
F. M. Smith, '84, in another motor, and joined 
the rear guard procession. In front of Alpha 
Delt., Washburn jumped on the running board, 
joining Goodridge and Smith. At this point, 



54 SABRINA 

the covering was pulled away from Sabrina and 
the Goddess appeared for the first time in several 
years to a very surprised Amherst crowd. 

Then they speeded up. A horse and wagon 
was standing directly across the Holyoke road, 
apparently to block it. However, Gillies sud- 
denly rushed forth from the crowd, dragged the 
horse to one side leaving the road clear. That 
was all Ames needed, and without a moment's 
hesitation he chose that direction. Several shots 
fired in the air attracted the attention of the 
spectators and all were able to get a clear view 
of Sabrina as she passed through their midst 
and on down the Holyoke Road. 

Before the Rush began, Tom Ashley,^ '16, had 
visited all the automobiles, relieving them of 
their spark plugs and keys. This prevented 
any immediate attempt to follow and was largely 
responsible for the easy get away. 

The party with Sabrina travelled directly over 
the Amherst-Holyoke road by way of the Notch 
at a rapid rate of speed. On nearing Holyoke, 
the other cars were signalled that they were no 
longer needed; Washburn and Smith went di- 
rectly to the latter's home, put Sabrina carefully 
away, and were back in Amherst by the middle 
of the afternoon. 

Shortly after this memorable trip, Sabrina was 

^Killed in action at Belleau Wood while serving with the Marines. 



NINETEEN SIXTEEN 55 

packed away in her box and again continued her 
travels, this time under the guidance of Wash- 
burn and Smith. She journeyed to Brockton, re- 
maining there for just one year under the careful 
watch of Washburn's father. 

Numerous plans were contemplated for bring- 
ing the Goddess forth and it was finally decided 
to exhibit her once again to the alumni at com- 
mencement in June 1915. The details were all 
carefully arranged, the various duties were as- 
signed, while Mr. Washburn remained ready at 
a moment's notice to ship the box by express on 
receipt of a coded telegram. At the last moment, 
the secret service of 1916 discovered the Odd 
Classmen had worked out elaborate plans to 
circumvent any attempt made at this time, and 
so it was decided best to let the Lady rest in 
peace until a more favorable opportunity might 
present itself. 

During the summer, Washburn and the guard- 
ian had several conferences and finally decided 
to hold the next banquet within walking distance 
of Amherst in order to prove decisively to the 
Odd Classmen how fruitless any effort to capture 
Sabrina would be on their part. With this in 
mind. Smith visited the Nonotuck during the 
latter part of the summer to talk with Mr. Bene- 
dict, the manager. He outlined the plan and 
Mr. Benedict agreed to the arrangements, even 



56 SABRINA 

offering his private storeroom on the top of the 
hotel as a hiding place for the statue, and swore 
by all that was holy to maintain the utmost 
secrecy. 

In September 1915, before college had opened, 
Washburn came to Holyoke with Sabrina. Here 
he was met by the guardian and conducted to 
the Nonotuck, where the Goddess was carefully 
concealed according to the prearranged plan. 
At the same time the menu for the banquet was 
agreed upon, the date was set, and Mr. Benedict 
was given to understand that he would hear no 
further word until his guests arrived in February 
of the following year. 

Little did the many students of Amherst 
realize, who so frequently visited the Nonotuck 
in that year when prohibition reigned in Hamp, 
that they were dining and drinking under the 
same roof with Sabrina. Such was the case 
however, yet she rested as peacefully and safely, 
dreaming of her past and future glories as though 
she were a thousand miles away from her beloved 
campus. 

During the night before the banquet which was 
held on February 22, 1916, the members of 1916 
and 1918 were given their instructions individ- 
ually by the sophomore committee and at noon 
the next day they wandered in small groups to the 
Boston and Maine station. At lunch time, the 



NINETEEN SIXTEEN 57 

Odd Classmen awoke to the fact that no Even 
Classmen were in Amherst, and at once began 
making plans to break up the banquet. In the 
meantime the special train was speeding to- 
wards Springfield. On arriving in that city, the 
two classes proceeded to Poll's theatre where the 
entire orchestra had been reserved for them. 
They assembled again at five thirty, still in com- 
plete ignorance of their destination, and boarded 
special electric cars which took them to the door 
of the Nonotuck in Holyoke. 

Several Odd Classmen had traced the Even 
Classmen to Springfield, arriving in time to see 
them depart for Holyoke, and by hiring a taxi they 
were able to follow them. At Holyoke, they got 
in touch with Amherst and ordered a large num- 
ber of their cohorts to come down immediately. 
They felt that their time had come and they 
made hasty preparations to break up the dinner 
and to follow the car bearing Sabrina, when it 
should leave the hotel. 

Earlier in the day, five Seniors: Ames, Ashley, 
Goodridge, Smith and Washburn, left town for 
Holyoke. By a prearranged plan, they met the 
guardian, who had secured a truck and a large 
packing box which closely resembled the one 
the Lady was kept in. This was taken to the 
Nonotuck where the five men carried it to the 
store room where Sabrina was concealed. There 



58 SABRINA 

they remained until word was received that the 
special cars had come. 

The dinner began immediately, while outside, 
three husky policemen guarded each exit with 
strict orders to allow no one to enter the hotel 
except with the permission of an Even Classman 
who remained there on watch with them. In 
this way the committee felt that the banquet 
could go on in peace even though every Odd 
Classman in college put in an appearance. The 
original plan had been to wait until the banquet 
was finished before showing Sabrina, but word 
was received from Amherst that a great many 
1917 men were on their way to Holyoke. For 
this reason, the five Seniors hastened their plans 
and carried the Goddess into the Banquet Hall 
while the dinner was still in progress. Immedi- 
ately loud and prolonged cheers burst forth and 
then came ''All Hail Sabrina Dear," which lasted 
for some fifteen minutes with unabated enthusi- 
asm. It was finally silenced by Senior Class 
president Washburn, who introduced Winthrop 
Smith as the 1916 guardian. The banqueters 
then marched forward to kiss their Goddess 
according to the time honored custom. After 
this ceremony, the men were allowed a more 
intimate inspection of the famous statue, then 
a flashlight photograph was taken and Sabrina 
disappeared again from the eyes of the world. 



NINETEEN SIXTEEN 59 

This time her journey was extremely short, 
for the seniors carried her to the storeroom up- 
stairs and locked her up safely. They then 
substituted the box that had been brought in 
during the afternoon and put it on the elevator 
and thence to the rear door where Smith's 
chauffeur was waiting with a motor. With much 
pretended effort, they succeeded in placing it in 
the car and sped swiftly away, only just in time 
however, for within a very few minutes a large 
crowd of 1917 men arrived. As the box was 
being placed in the car there were three or four 
Odd Classmen within a few yards, but they dared 
do nothing to interfere, only following immedi- 
ately in a taxi. 

The car with the seniors dodged through a 
number of streets and alleys and when they felt 
that they had lost any pursuers that might still 
be on their track, they headed for South Hadley; 
there they broke up the box and carefully hid 
the remnants. Then they separated with in- 
structions not to appear in Amherst until next 
day, in order to give the appearance that Sabrina 
had been taken away to a considerable distance. 

In June of that year, plans were again made 
to bring Sabrina into Amherst at commencement, 
for the class of 1910 was holding its sixth 
reunion and Shoop of that class was very eager 
to show her to his classmates. Sabrina was still 



60 SABRINA 

in Holyoke so it was thought it would be a com- 
paratively easy matter to rush her in to 1910 
headquarters and back again. Monday night 
was the time set, but a few hours before, the wife 
of one of the Odd Class alumni very fortunately 
made the remark to one of the men that was to 
take part in showing the Goddess that night, 
that they were going to use her husband's car 
that evening to help catch Sabrina. Again plans 
were called off, while Odd Class cars patrolled 
the roads all night long in vain hope of giving 
chase. 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 

PHILIP H. SEE had been appointed guar- 
dian for the class of 1918. Sabrina was offi- 
cially turned over to him in June 1916 by 
Winthrop H. Smith, the 1916 guardian. In the 
latter part of this month, the Goddess was sent by 
express from Holyoke to New York and taken to 
a warehouse on 107th Street where a private room 
had been provided for her safe-keeping. In the 
trip from Holyoke the box in which the Goddess 
had been travelling for ten years had become 
entirely demoHshed, and early in September the 
guardian, together with George B. Carter, '06, 
visited the warehouse and built a new box, antic- 
ipating some fast and furious travelling in the 
near future. 

See in the meantime had been in close com- 
munication with George Washburn, '16, and 
together they planned some rather startling inno- 
vations in connection with the appearance of 
Sabrina in Amherst. It has always been the 
ambition of each succeeding Sabrina class to 
outdo its predecessor in the spectacular way in 
which Sabrina shall be shown to the college body 
at Amherst. The first of these appearances was 
to be inside of Chapel during the Spring of 1917, 
and the other one was to be at Commencement 

61 



62 SABRINA 

of the same year. For this latter event, a de- 
tailed plan had been worked out whereby Sabrina 
was to appear four times within an hour, the 
cars containing the statue using the back roads 
of the town, and returning to the center at 
stated intervals, it being expected that the Odd 
Classmen would be thrown into such a state 
of confusion over each separate appearance that 
they would not expect the Goddess again on the 
same day and at the same place. 

It will be remembered that in the spring of 
1917 the United States entered the World War, 
and the college was thrown immediately into a 
state of confusion. Mihtary training was es- 
tablished and the college given over to prepara- 
tions for war. With the resignation of the 
guardian and most of his committee from college, 
all plans for the appearances of Sabrina were 
cancelled. The Goddess had not been moved 
from her hiding place in New York, and it was 
decided to leave her there until affairs settled 
down generally and the college returned to 
normal conditions. Harold F. Johnson, '18, 
was appointed temporary guardian for 1918 and 
Sabrina was turned over to him late that spring. 

A year later, Johnson decided that an appro- 
priate time had arrived for showing the Goddess 
in Amherst. During the early spring he and 
Jacob Estey, '18, spent many afternoons on the 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 63 

golf links, and together worked out the plans for 
the proposed appearance. These two men de- 
cided that Sabrina's next appearance should be a 
truly exciting affair: one which would not only 
completely outwit and humiliate the Odd Class- 
men, but which would be as original and daring 
an enterprise as any former escapade. Johnson 
had heard from See of the plan to show Sabrina 
inside Chapel and this idea struck him as being 
quite suited to an appearance. 

However, when they came to lay their plans, 
they found that the difficulties that would be 
encountered in taking the Goddess into Johnson 
Chapel were so great that the idea hardly seemed 
feasible. Either the statue would have to be 
taken there the night before and securely hidden 
until the critical moment, or a large body-guard 
would have to be employed to carry her in and 
out during Chapel exercises. Both plans seemed 
too risky. At this time, classes, chiefly seminar 
courses, were being held in the evening in 
Johnson Chapel, and for this reason the two 
men came to the conclusion that they might 
encounter too much eavesdropping. It also 
appeared impossible to rush the Goddess in at 
the Chapel service for reasons which are too 
obvious to mention. The college had had a 
taste of one war and it was not thought good 
form to precipitate another. 



64 SABRINA 

Still clinging to the idea, a Chapel appearance 
was worked out. It was decided that some 
method should be employed which would allow 
the Even Classmen to leave the building after 
Chapel without arousing the suspicion of the 
Odd Classmen, and that Sabrina should be 
brought up along the road and held up to the 
view of the Odd Classmen. Doors and windows 
were to be securely locked and guarded, and 
for this purpose various Even Classmen were 
told off. 

Estey and Johnson went over these plans 
carefully several times, and having made sure 
that no shps were hkely to occur, decided on an 
early date in April for the appearance. 

Johnson, on the pretext of urgent business, 
went to New York where he took Sabrina from 
her place of hiding where she had been since 
June 1916, and arranged to have her shipped to 
Brattleboro, Vermont, on the White Mountain 
Express. No difficulty was experienced in ar- 
ranging for the trip, and Johnson accompanied 
the Goddess. He arrived in Brattleboro about 
midnight where he was met by Estey. To- 
gether, they loaded the statue into the latter's 
car and took it to his house. Sabrina was here 
placed in the drawing room. Amid these sur- 
roundings, which were a great change for the 
Goddess after her many trips over land and sea 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 65 

in rough boxes, and her long sojourns in out-of- 
the-way places, she stayed while two or three 
Even Class alumni, who lived in the vicinity, 
one of whom was a former guardian, came in to 
pay her their respects. 

At six the next morning, she was placed in 
Estey's car and started for Amherst. In the 
car were Chase, Johnson, Estey, '18, and Estey's 
younger brother, of the class of nineteen twenty. 
After an uneventful journey they arrived on the 
outskirts of the town at about quarter of eight. 
Here they stayed until the student body, rushing 
in its customary hurried way to breakfast and 
even more hurriedly to Chapel, was safely behind 
the doors of the building. Not until the last 
straggler was seen running up the hill did they 
venture onto the campus. Circling the Com- 
mon, they drove around the terrace by the church 
and came to a stop opposite Appleton Cabinet, 
where the plan was for them to halt until they 
should be signalled that Chapel was over and 
the coast clear. While they were waiting here 
three Odd Classmen, having cut Chapel and on 
their way to classes, passed very near to the car 
without suspecting its precious occupant. One 
of them stopped in passing to light a cigar- 
ette, but his thoughts were elsewhere and his 
chance, if it could be said to have been a chance, 
shpped by. 



66 SABRINA 

Inside the building, Chapel was drawing to a 
close. There was the usual impatience to be 
gone and have the customary cigarette before 
entering the class room for the first hour. At 
the end of the reading of notices, Malcolm Sharp, 
'18, with a serious face, requested the classes 
of '19 and '21 to remain in their seats for a few 
moments after the conclusion of the exercises. 
As the recessional was played the Even Classmen 
filed out. Immediately, the doors were secured 
and as soon as it was sure that the Odds were 
trapped, the signal was given. Sabrina was 
quickly moved from her hiding place and as the 
car containing her slowly moved by the south 
side of Chapel, Sabrina was lifted from the ton- 
neau of the car and held up to the gaze of the 
bewildered Odd Classmen, who were looking 
dumfounded from the windows, and to the Even 
Classmen gathered outside Chapel. A few men 
succeeded in dropping from the lower windows 
to the ground, but there were too many Evens 
protecting the Goddess, and nothing was ac- 
complished. ''All hail, Sabrina" rent the air, 
and after a few moments the machine drove 
away over the Notch. 

Pursuit was ineffectual for some time, as the 
Even Class program had included the complete 
incapacitation of all automobiles and motor- 
cycles belonging to Odd Classmen. After driv- 




p. H. SEE 
1918 Guardian 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 67 

ing about the country for a couple of hours to 
make sure that no one was following, the men 
above mentioned who were accompanying the 
statue, took it to a barn on the road to Westfield 
not far out of that town. Here she was hidden 
deep in a hay-mow. That same morning Seward 
and Hallock, '19, after vainly attempting to get 
the latter's car in commission, succeeded after 
an hour's work in getting it to run. They picked 
up Soliday, Brown and Southworth, '19, president 
of the class, and drove to Springfield. Here they 
made a thorough search of the railroad station 
but nothing was found. The Odd Classmen 
drove around the neighboring country for several 
hours in the hopes of picking up a trail. The 
much sought car seemed ever just beyond the 
next rise in the road, and great was the disap- 
pointment of these men as they returned to 
Springfield late that afternoon. Resolved to 
make a last search, they explored every nook 
and cranny of the station, and it was not until 
late in the evening that they turned toward 
Amherst, a sorely disappointed lot. 

At this point of the story it is necessary to 
digress to bring to light matters which have 
been kept secret for a long time. This present 
publication seems to be a good opportunity to 
present another side of the Sabrina Story, which 
has hitherto been an unknown quantity in this 



68 SABRINA 

most exciting episode of college life. The facts 
for the story have been presented by Bowman, 
'19, and we have followed closely his account 
believing that it portrays one of the most inter- 
esting points of Sabrina history. 

When the statue of Sabrina was originally 
made, two casts were drawn. One of these was 
given to Amherst College and its subsequent 
treatment at the hands of students, its removal 
from the campus, its revelation to the men of 
'90, and later career, are too well known to men- 
tion in detail here. 

The duplicate of this statue was bought by a 
graduate of Cornell University, who placed it in 
his garden at his home in a town in North Caro- 
hna. It mysteriously disappeared. The story 
from here on was told to Bowman by a graduate 
of Amherst in the class of '96. At the time that 
Wheelock, '11, so nearly succeeded in capturing 
Sabrina at Buffalo from the Even Classmen, 
he traced it to the house of Staples, '96, a 
former guardian. Here all trace of the statue 
was lost after an unsuccessful attempt to outwit 
the former Even Class custodian's wife. This 
event attracted considerable attention and the 
newspapers featured it. Various articles con- 
cerning the attempted capture came to the notice 
of the Cornell graduate, and he employed Pinker- 
ton detectives to find the ''Sabrina" that the 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 69 

accounts so glaringly told of, in the hopes that 
it might prove to be the one which had vanished 
from his garden. It is recorded that the Pinker- 
tons were successful in their attempt to find the 
lost property, and that they actually did get 
possession of a Sabrina. However, it is also a 
fact that a Sabrina made a subsequent appear- 
ance under the guardianship of an Even Class- 
man. The Cornell graduate took the Sabrina 
which had been restored to him, to his summer 
home on Lake Erie, near Buffalo, and again placed 
her in his garden. 

Bowman heard about this duplicate Sabrina 
and went to the Cornell graduate, offering to buy 
the statue, but its owner refused to part with it. 
The story of the '96 men had made such an im- 
pression upon Bowman that he resolved to obtain 
the statue no matter what the risk might be. 
He, accordingly, pursuaded a friend of his, who 
singularly enough, was a Cornell student of the 
class of 1919, to go with him to get the statue. 
The home of the Cornell graduate was within 
driving distance of Bowman's house in James- 
town. Taking along another friend, a Univer- 
sity of Pennsylvania man, they set out in two 
cars, one of which was to be used to block any 
pursuers in case they were followed. Both these 
cars were of the same model and make. Arriv- 
ing at their destination between three and four 



70 SABRINA 

in the morning, they left the machines near the 
road and entered the garden. Here they found 
the statue reposing peacefully in the middle of 
the garden. Quietly they lifted it from its 
resting place, put it in the car and bore it away. 
Making sure that no one was following, the 
two cars parted, going in different directions, to 
throw off possible pursuit. 

This statue was hidden in Jamestown, New 
York, where it remained until early in the year 
1917. Bowman, at the advice of Southworth, 
whom he had told of his capture, decided to 
bring Sabrina nearer to Amherst with the end in 
view of taking advantage of any opportunity 
that might present itself. Accordingly, he 
shipped it to Greenfield in his Sophomore year 
just after Christmas, and had it securely hid- 
den in a safe deposit vault in a bank in that 
town. It stayed here undisturbed during the 
rest of the year, and after college had closed, 
Bowman had it taken back to New York state 
where he concealed it in a hay-mow on a farm 
near his home during the summer. 

In the fall Bowman returned to college, leav- 
ing the statue behind him. Bowman brought 
this matter to the attention of Soliday and 
Seward and these men, together with Southworth 
decided to bring Bowman's statue nearer to Am- 
herst ; by singular coincidence the statue arrived 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 71 

about three weeks before the appearance of the Sa- 
brina of the Even Classes recorded above. Accord- 
ingly, it was shipped to South Hadley, in care of 
Philip Stacy, '19, who lived there . Here it was kept 
in a tool house belonging to Mt. Holyoke College. 

As an interesting side light on the appearance 
of Sabrina that had taken place on the morning 
recorded above, the idea which took shape in the 
now famous dual appearance of Sabrina, oc- 
curred to the Odd Classmen as they were return- 
ing from Springfield after their vain search for 
the Goddess. They decided to bring Bowman's 
Sabrina through Amherst in the hopes that the 
Even Classmen should be so upset that they 
would disclose immediately the hiding place of 
their statue and that they would thus be able to 
get both statues of Sabrina. 

The plans of the Odd Classmen differed some- 
what from those which had been made for the 
showing on the previous day. Southworth 
was to make an announcement in Chapel that 
Sabrina was outside on the Holyoke Road in 
the hands of the class of 1919. It was known to 
the Odd Classmen that Johnson was the official 
guardian of the class of 1918, and accordingly, 
Southworth and Tilton were told off to watch 
him during the entire day, to see if he made any 
telephone calls, and to report these at once. 
Estey was placed under like surveillance. 



72 SABRINA 

As a precaution, several Freshman were to be 
posted along the Holyoke Road, to stand guard 
around the statue in case any Even Classmen 
succeeded in breaking through the crowd of 
Odds that was to form around Chapel door. 
At six o'clock that morning, after only a few 
hours sleep, Soliday, Brown, Bowman, Stacy and 
Seward, '19, went to South Hadley in Hallock's 
Packard, where they took the statue out of 
the tool house. After placing it on the back 
seat of the car they covered it with blankets 
and drove quickly towards Amherst. On the 
way they paused for breakfast at a farm house 
on the outskirts of the town just beyond Mount 
Doma. At 8:15, just as Chapel was starting, 
the car arrived in Amherst, and to kill time until 
Chapel should be let out the men drove around 
Pratt Field, up the Hamp Road, past the Psi 
U. House, and down the Holyoke Road, where 
they waited for several minutes. At this junc- 
ture Andy Clark, '20, drove by in a car. The 
Odd Classmen were much alarmed, for they 
had been up all night, the guardianship of 
Sabrina was a new and thrilling experience 
for them and they were ready to jump at the 
slightest suspicious sign. The Freshmen who 
were posted along the road promptly seized the 
intruder and held him, preventing his further 
advance. 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 73 

Just as a thrilling announcement had been 
made the day before in Johnson Chapel, so now 
was the student body electrified to hear South- 
worth announce in shaky voice, '' If any one would 
like to see the real Sabrina, they will find her at 
the foot of the hill on the Holyoke Road in the 
hands of the class of 1919." Pandemonium 
broke loose. Odd Classmen gave vent to their 
feelings of astonishment and joy in unrestrained 
howls, among which could be heard ^' All Hails." 
Everyone made a rush for the nearest door, and 
the result was a finer scrimmage than was 
ever before seen at a Chapel or Flag rush. 

Far down the hill on the road to Holyoke, 
raised high in the rear of Hallock's car, reposed a 
shining statue of the Goddess Sabrina, sur- 
rounded by the men of the Class of Nineteen 
Nineteen. Even Classmen rushed towards it 
but were tripped by opposing Odds, and to- 
gether, they rolled down the embankment in a 
melee of flying legs and arms. The few men who 
succeeded in approaching the car were quickly 
laid low by the faithful Freshmen as the car 
slowly moved off down the road and was soon 
lost to sight. 

The statue was immediately taken back to 
Stacy's house and the men returned to college 
where they attended classes during the morning, 
having previously detoured through Holyoke 



74 SABRINA 

and Northampton to avoid suspicion. The 
excitement of the occasion proved too intense 
and late that afternoon several of the men who 
had taken part in the escapade, together with 
Dave Craig, '17, slipped quietly out of town and 
went to South Hadley where they took the 
statue to Northampton and hid it in a wood 
pile in the cellar of the house of a friend of 
Craig's. 

All that day excitement was intense through- 
out the college. South worth and Tilton made 
every effort to shadow Johnson and Estey, but 
discovered no telephone calls. In fact, Johnson's 
first thought was to telephone, but divining the 
real intent of the Odd Classmen in planning this 
appearance, he deterred. Later in the morning 
he and Estey succeeded in getting away from 
town by a back road and went promptly 
to Northampton where they telephoned the 
owners of the barn in which Sabrina was 
hidden. A search was made and everything was 
found in good shape. They then returned to 
Amherst. 

In the meantime, the Odd Classmen, having 
failed in their attempt to trace calls from Am- 
herst, tried to find out if any calls could be dis- 
covered in Northampton. They got in touch 
with the manager of the Telephone Company 
but this official proved a faithful ally of the Even 




H. F. JOHNSON 
1918 Guardian 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 75 

Classmen, for he steadfastly refused to give any 
information whatsoever about Johnson's call. 
Thus, the attempt to trace the Sabrina, which 
had appeared the previous day, failed. 

Considerable doubt reigned in Amherst as 
to which statue was the real Sabrina. Odd 
Classmen, of course, claimed that theirs was 
the original, and their opinions were voiced more 
strongly because of their lack of conviction. 
Even Classmen were soon reassured that their 
Goddess was undisturbed and the dispute showed 
no signs of settlement, so a committee was 
appointed, the members of which were selected 
from the classes of 1918 and 1919: Johnson, 
Estey, Morehouse, for the former; Soliday, 
Bowman, Southworth and Seward for the latter. 
These two sides presented their cases in an 
attempt to come to a settlement. The Odd 
Classmen took the position that Bowman's 
story was irrefutable, but that they felt that 
because of the tradition it would be desirable for 
them to waive their claims to Sabrina on condi- 
tion that the Even Classmen agree to certain 
rules to govern the conduct of Sabrina warfare 
in the future, which were proposed by them. 
Bowman stuck to the story through thick and 
thin, and the upshot of the whole matter was 
that the rules were drawn up and adopted. A 
set of these rules is reprinted below. 



76 SABRINA 

Amherst, Mass., April 10, 1918. 
To the Editor of the Student: 
Sir: 

The situation that has arisen in the recent appearance 
of Sabrina has involved serious danger to the permanence 
of the tradition and so demands explanation and a clear- 
ing up of issues. 

The 1919 Committee has had in its possession for over a 
year, in anticipation for an opportune moment for show- 
ing its hand, a bronze statue of Sabrina, whose identity 
they trace to a clouded period about ten years ago, at 
which time a confusion of identity is claimed. Realizing 
the dangers to the tradition of Sabrina, if a second goddess 
is brought on the scene, a conference of the 1918 and 1919 
Committees was called, the outcome of which was as 
follows : 

The Odd Classmen are wilHng to withdraw the claims 
of their statue, so that only one may still be in the field 
of endeavor, and to leave the guardianship of the tradi- 
tion in the hands of the Even Classmen. 

It was agreed, for the furthering of a more lively inter- 
est than has been apparent for some years, that the follow- 
ing conditions govern the contest : 

1. That the statue be produced before the college body 
at least once a year, and that during the last twelve weeks 
of the college year. It is understood that in the years of 
the Sabrina Banquets the appearance may be in either 
the first or the last twelve weeks of the college year. 

2. That artificial guards such as safety deposit vaults, 
storage in the hands of express or railroad companies, or 
like methods of taking the guardianship out of the hands 
of the committee, and so making it an offense against the 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 77 

law to attempt securing the statue, be considered as 
against the rules of the contest. 

3. That in the event of private houses, or other private 
buildings or property, being used as storage places, the 
committee in charge of the statue assumes sole and com- 
plete responsibility for the charge of burglary. 

It is agreed by both parties that the introduction of 
statues other than the Sabrina now held by the Even 
Classmen be barred. 

The joint committee wishes it emphatically pointed 
out that on the basis of the foregoing statements it is 
obviously advisable that wagers be declared off. 
(Signed) 

Harold F. Johnson '18, 

J. P. ESTEY '18, 

E. W. Morehouse '18, 
Theodore Southworth '19, 
David S. Solid ay '19, 
Halvor R. Seward '19, 
Morris L. Bowman '19. 

At a meeting of the Sabrina and the non-Sabrina com- 
mittees held in Amherst on November 16th, 1919, the 
following rules were added to the above. 

1. The use of firearms in connection with any Sabrina 
or non-Sabrina activities, for any purpose whatsoever, 
shall be prohibited. 

2. There shall be a committee known as the Sabrina 
Rules Committee consisting of three members of each 
of the two upper classes. The chairman of the joint 
committee shall be the chairman of the Senior group and 
the secretary shall be the chairman of the Junior group. 

3. The committee shall have the power to revise, 
correct and interpret the rules governing Sabrina and 



78 SABRINA 

non-Sabrina activities, to investigate supposed violations 
of these rules and to take such action as they deeni wise 
to enforce these rules. 

4. A majority of the membership of the committee 
shall be necessary to legislate. 

(Signed) 

George D. Haskell '20, 
E. Orlow Clark Jr., '20, 
Kenneth B. Low '20, 
R. S. Schlei(}her '21, 
Waldo E. Palmer '21, 
Walter N. Zink '21. 

At the time these events took place both the 
Even and Odd Classmen, as is evidenced by the 
rules agreed to by 1918 and 1919, were convinced 
that the two statues were closely connected at 
some time and that there was some doubt as to 
the identity of the original Sabrina. However, 
this confusion did not take place in Buffalo as it 
has since been stated by Charles Staples '96 that 
so far as he knew there was only one Sabrina in 
the hands of the Even Classmen at that time. 

After this, college quieted down and Sabrina 
was not to be the center of attraction for quite 
some time to come. While the Odd Class at- 
tempt to shadow Sabrina had totally failed, they 
had made another great stride towards capturing 
the Goddess. This was the first time since the 
famous attempt of Wheelock, '11, to capture 
Sabrina that the Even Class guardians had con- 



NINETEEN EIGHTEEN 79 

sidered themselves in a position which was at all 
dangerous. In a way it was a moral victory for 
the Odd Classes, for it gave them the oppor- 
tunity to introduce rules which would go far 
towards making the affair less one-sided. Bow- 
man's statue mysteriously disappeared, never to 
be seen again, in accordance with these rules, by 
Odd or Even Classmen, as it was agreed that the 
Sabrina in possession of the Even Classes should 
be considered the Sabrina for the possession of 
which the Odd Classes should fight. 



NINETEEN TWENTY 

ACCORDING to information furnished 
by Kenneth B. Low, the 1920 guardian, 
Sabrina came into the hands of that class 
early in the spring of 1919. It had been imprac- 
ticable to turn her over to the new guardian dur- 
ing the previous Spring as would normally have 
happened, for a variety of reasons. The college 
was in a disorganized state; many men had left 
for service in the armed forces of the country, and 
among these were See, Johnson and Estey, all of 
whom had been closely connected with recent 
Sabrina activities. A total submersion of college 
ideas to war spirit made it seem inadvisable to 
plan very much with respect to Sabrina, and as a 
result nothing was done about handing her 
down to the succeeding class. 

After the Armistice college reopened and 
many men who had been absent returned to 
take up their activities. By the time college 
had once more resumed its customary pre-war 
aspect, it was decided to turn the Goddess over 
to the class of 1920. Hal Johnson, '18, who had 
acted as guardian, was in the West at this time 
and it devolved upon Estey to manipulate the 
transfer. Paul Phillips, president of the class 
of 1920, and Low were instructed early in the 

80 



NINETEEN TWENTY 81 

Spring of 1919 to meet Estey in a certain room 
of a hotel in Springfield one Sunday afternoon. 
They reported there and were officially intrusted 
with the care of the Goddess. 

Sabrina, as has been said before, was at this 
time hidden in a pile of hay in a large yellow 
barn adjoining the house belonging to a friend of 
Ed Morehouse, a few miles out of Westfield on the 
road to Springfield. After the conference called 
by Estey, the new guardians were driven in 
Estey's car to the barn where the men of '20 
were acquainted with the details of the hiding 
place. No attempt was made to move the statue 
at this time and they returned quietly to college. 

It was planned to hold the banquet at which 
Sabrina should be formally presented to the class 
of 1920 at Worcester. This spot was chosen 
because it was convenient and offered good 
facilities for transporting the entire class to the 
banquet at short notice. The banquet was to 
be held at the Hotel Bancroft and particular 
pains were taken that a safe and easy means of 
entrance and exit of the statue from the room 
should be provided. All necessary safeguards 
were taken at the hotel. It was decided to 
transport the entire class from Pratt Field to 
Worcester by automobile and Stanley Ayers, 
'20, was given charge of this part of the program. 
This was a new and novel undertaking and in- 



82 SABRINA 

volved considerable planning; it was at first 
thought that it might be a difficult matter to 
obtain so many cars from the neighborhood 
without arousing suspicion as to what was on foot. 
When all the preliminary arrangements had 
been made, the next step was to move the statue. 
Estey furnished two cars, one a Premier which 
he drove himself and in which the statue was 
carried, the other a car owned by a resident of 
Brattleboro. This was to be used as a follow-up 
car. These cars came down from Brattleboro 
by previous arrangement, and met the delegation 
from Amherst; Olsen, Kilby, Card and Low, '20, 
and also See, '18, who had come from Boston for 
the occasion, at two o'clock in the afternoon of 
the banquet, in Northampton. The cars then 
proceeded to West Springfield where Sabrina 
was taken out from beneath the hay-mow and 
placed in Estey's car and covered with robes. 
The side curtains were put in place and the ride 
for Worcester started. Avoiding crowded roads 
they proceeded, and no mishaps were en- 
countered, until the cavalcade reached the out- 
skirts of Worcester. Here a tire blew out on the 
follow-up car and a delay was inevitable. While 
repairs were being made, the car with Sabrina 
was hidden behind some old houses a short dis- 
tance off the main road. There were still two 
or three hours left before the appearance of 




K. B. LOW 

1920 Guardian 



NINETEEN TWENTY 83 

Sabrina at the banquet was scheduled, so the 
cars moved slowly through the town, taking side 
streets and doubling back on their trail in an 
effort to kill time. After dawdling as long as 
possible, the cars drew up in a dark alley in the 
neighborhood of Worcester Academy, some dis- 
tance from the hotel. Here the group waited 
while Low proceeded on foot to the Bancroft to 
see if the coast was clear and the plans working 
smoothly. He discovered that all was well, 
and hurried back to the cars. 

After another long wait they proceeded to the 
Bancroft. They drew up to a side door and 
Sabrina was carried in and placed in a room ad- 
joining the banquet hall to await her appearance. 
Meanwhile, the class had arrived at the ap- 
pointed hour and after the usual delay of such 
functions, was seated at the tables. At a signal 
from the toastmaster the doors were thrown 
open and Sabrina was ushered into the room. 
The applause and enthusiastic cheering having 
subsided, Phil See presented the Goddess to the 
class of 1920, and intrusted her to their ever- 
lasting care. After this, the time-old custom of 
kissing the fair Goddess followed. Then she was 
taken out as she had come in, put back into the 
automobile and taken back to her hiding place 
in the barn in West Springfield by Estey and 
some of the others who had brought her down. 



84 SABRINA 

The next appearance of Sabrina was a month 
or so later and took place at the Sophomore 
Smoker of the class of 1920. It had been 
thought that the hiding place was known, and 
accordingly it was decided to move the Goddess 
to a farm house in Belchertown. Bill Cowles, 
'20, had arranged to have the statue hidden here 
and had seen to it that a pit was dug under the 
floor of a small wagon house infrequently used. 
Mrs. Cowles made a canvas slip cover for the 
Goddess which was kept in readiness for her 
arrival. It was planned to remove the statue 
to this hiding place immediately after the appear- 
ance at the Smoker. 

To bring Sabrina through town, a Packard was 
hired in Springfield from its owner. Cliff Nash, 
'20, also offered to help the project with his own 
car. It was decided to have Cowles, Wood and 
DeKlyn, '20, remove Sabrina from the West 
Springfield barn in the Packard. These men 
were to arrive at an appointed time on the even- 
ing of the Smoker just beyond the underpass at 
the foot of College Street. Here they were to 
be met by four men in Nash's car, including 
besides Nash, Olsen, Anthony and Wilbar '20. 
Low, the guardian, was not to meet the statue 
at the underpass, for he was scheduled to appear 
in the College Quartet to sing at the Smoker. 
Thinking that his unexplained absence from the 



NINETEEN TWENTY 85 

quartet would arouse suspicion he decided to go 
through with his part in the program and join 
the party later. Accordingly, that afternoon the 
Packard set out, having been met by Cowles, 
Wood and DeKlyn, who had slipped away from 
college unobserved, and they went to the 
barn in West Springfield where they secured 
the statue. They proceeded slowly towards 
Amherst. 

Meanwhile, things began to happen thick 
and fast, which almost culminated in the sur- 
render of the plan to bring the statue through. 
Before the college body assembled at the Smoker, 
several non-Sabrina men approached Low. 
Among these were Plimpton, President of the 
class of 1921, who inquired point blank whether 
Sabrina was to appear that evening. Low was 
almost thrown off his guard by the suddenness of 
this question but finally managed to throw the 
Odd Classman off the track. The Smoker began 
and all went well through the performance. At 
the close of the selections rendered by the quartet, 
Plimpton, who was presiding at the meeting, 
called upon Low to lead the singing for the re- 
mainder of the evening. Low knew that the cars 
bearing Sabrina were by this time at the under- 
pass and that the men would be waiting for him 
impatiently, for his appearance was to be the sig- 
nal to begin operations. Because of this, he pro- 



86 SABRINA 

tested his inability to lead the singing, giving as 
an excuse a severe cold and a husky voice which 
had already been strained. In spite of protest 
and considerable suspicion, he left the building 
and walked slowly to the underpass where he 
joined the waiting party. 

By this time, the driver of the Packard had 
become slightly worried by the show of guns, 
clubs and other weapons in the car, and the 
tense atmosphere of warfare that overhung the 
situation. He refused point blank to carry out 
the plan, valuing his own life more than the suc- 
cess of the prank of irresponsible college men. 
After much persuasion he was finally induced to 
go on, being reassured that the danger was slight 
and that the real purpose of the heavy armament 
that was carried was only a bluff. At the pre- 
determined moment the cars moved forward up 
College Street, the Packard in the lead, with 
Nash following. They turned to the left past the 
Library, and then swung to the right toward 
College Hall. When Prexy's house was reached 
the cars halted. A shot was fired to announce 
their arrival by Tuttle, '20, who was posted at 
the doorway of College Hall, and the cry ''Sa- 
brina!," was heard. A rush for the doors fol- 
lowed, but when the crowd reached the open air 
the cars slowly drove away down the Holyoke 
Road gathering speed as they went. Even the 



NINETEEN TWENTY 87 

few people who succeeded in getting out of the 
building, were only fortunate enough to see the 
Goddess as she was borne away. The appear- 
ance had been cut short by the activity of Odd 
Classmen and the nervous tension to which the 
guardian and his aides had been worked up. 
The Packard speeded up and hummed down 
across the Railroad Bridge with the follow-up 
car close behind. At this point, a car was seen 
heading across the road from the right but the 
car bearing Sabrina kept on at full speed and 
managed to beat the pursuing car to the main 
road at the Golf Links. The second car driven 
by Nash, also got in just ahead of the pursuer, 
which proved to be a non-Sabrina Packard. 
The Odd Classmen had guessed the plans of the 
escapade correctly and had been lying low here 
for just such a clash. This was probably the 
wildest ride which was ever taken by three ma- 
chines over the Holyoke Road. The Packard 
bearing Sabrina soon drew far into the lead of 
the second car, which barred pursuit of the non- 
Sabrina men by blocking the road, for some time. 
The Odd Classmen opened fire on Nash's car at 
close range, and one shot pierced a tire. Nash, 
after bumping wildly from one side of the road 
to the other, thought the time had come for him 
to drop out of the race, for his car was disabled, 
and if he were to effectually block the pursuing 



88 SABRINA 

car he must travel at a high rate of speed, not 
only endangering his own life, but those of the 
men following. Accordingly, he slowed down 
and drew off to the side of the road. The non- 
Sabrina car seized this opportunity and dashed 
by, speeding up on its pursuit of the Sabrina car, 
which was by this time well over the Notch and 
out of sight. 

The Even Class Packard after descending the 
opposite slope of the Notch swerved across a 
bridge to a cross road which they had previously 
planned to take in event of pursuit. The driver 
was not familiar with this road and this fact 
almost caused an upset. As it was, Cowles nar- 
rowly averted disaster by quickly grasping the 
wheel. The Packard then started off at a good 
clip for the hiding place in Belchertown, Cowles 
guiding the way as he knew the countryside well. 
By taking many cross-cuts and detours the pur- 
suing car was completely thrown off the trail, 
and by midnight Sabrina was safely deposited in 
her new under-ground home. 

Nothing more was seen of the Goddess, al- 
though many rumors were heard, until the day 
of the Williams game in November 1919. The 
men in charge of Sabrina had decided upon a 
new and daring exploit by which she could be 
shown to the whole college body for a consider- 
able period of time. This year the Williams 



NINETEEN TWENTY 89 

game was played at Williamstown, and as is the 
usual custom a special train was hired to convey 
the student body to the game. The train left 
Amherst early Saturday morning bearing some 
four hundred and fifty undergraduates. The 
day was fine and all were looking forward to the 
game with considerable pleasure and anticipa- 
tion. As the train drew near the steeps of the 
Mohawk Trail, the students were quietly reading 
magazines or playing bridge on improvised 
tables in the train seats. 

A little river runs parallel with the tracks of 
the railroad for several miles near Charlemont. 
Suddenly a cry ^'Sabrina" was heard through- 
out the length of the train, and pushing to the 
windows, the astonished men beheld sailing along 
the road across the river a car bearing Sabrina. 
The train was moving at a good pace but the 
automobile kept pace with it for several miles, 
now speeding along an open stretch, now dodging 
behind an intervening hillock or mass of rocks, 
only to appear again after a short interval. The 
Even Classmen were filled with joy at the suc- 
cess of the feat, and Odd Classmen gnashed their 
teeth in vain, realizing that the train could not 
be made to stop, and that even if it did their 
chances of crossing the river in time to reach the 
fleet car bearing Sabrina were very slim. After 
a while the men in the train calmed down and 



90 SABRINA 

the statue disappeared around a bend in the 
road. 

The arrangements for this escapade were few 
but complete. The men in charge of the show- 
ing of Sabrina were DeKlyn, Cowles, Wood and 
Low. Read, '20, left Amherst on a motorcycle 
at four in the morning and reached the rendez- 
vous by the river where it had been previously 
determined that he should meet the car bearing 
Sabrina. A Packard, hired in Springfield, left 
Amherst at about the same time, picked up 
Sabrina in Belchertown and reached the river 
about seven in the morning. Here the car and 
motorcycle were run in by the side of a house 
near the road, where they laid in wait for the ap- 
proaching train. The engineer had been sub- 
sidized for the performance and it was arranged 
that he should give three blasts of the whistle as 
the train came around the curve that there might 
be no mistake as to the identity of the train. 

During the morning several cars filled with 
Amherst men passed by on the road, and when 
finally the special came by and blew the signal 
the Packard drew out onto the road, tagging the 
fast moving train for six miles. About a mile 
before Charlemont was reached, the Packard 
shot ahead up the steep incline. A short dis- 
tance outside of this town Sabrina was removed 
from the cars and hidden in a deep thicket on the 



NINETEEN TWENTY 91 

edge of a small stream, where she was left for a 
few days. The men then proceeded to Williams- 
town and the game. 

Just before the Packard had started to play 
tag with the train, Read, who was following 
on his motorcycle, had seen a carload of non- 
Sabrina men speeding along in an effort to catch 
the train. They were approaching rapidly and 
danger was imminent. Read fell upon the plan 
of pleading an accident. He stopped his motor 
cycle, and halting the approaching car asked 
them for a wrench to fix his machine, which was 
in perfect order. After tinkering for a time and 
allowing the Sabrina car to get out of danger, 
he thanked the Odd Classmen, and proceeded 
on his journey. 

Some few days later, a suspicion arose in the 
minds of the Sabrina guardian that her location 
might have been traced to Charlemont, so De- 
Klyn and Low decided to move her. They 
obtained a Packard belonging to Whittemore 
and drove to the hiding place on a pitch black, 
rainy night. After a prolonged and gloomy 
search they unearthed her in a completely frozen 
state, and carried her back to Belchertown where 
she was buried under the floor of the tool house. 
Here she remained until she was exhumed to be 
taken to the Boston banquet. 

For purposes of presenting an impartial view 



92 SABRINA 

on the episodes of Sabrina which occured while 
the classes of 1919 and 1920 were in college, it 
has been thought advisable to reprint here the 
story of Odd Class activities during this period, 
written by a man who was responsible for much 
of the doings and subsequent successes of non- 
Sabrina men, David S. Soliday. 

With the new year of 1919 came the returning 
army of Amherst men to their Alma Mater. 
Goat-rooms were dusted, the fraternity's final 
preparation to receive its long absent brothers 
were made ; Pratt Dorm and old North and South 
College flung open their doors at the command of 
Grigg's Furniture dray to receive a bevy of 
time-worn desks, chairs and other student equip- 
ment; Prexy and Dean Olds consulted with the 
faculty concerning the new college; College Hall 
once again rang with the ^' cheer for Old Amherst '' 
and speeches of her loyal sons. Thus, fired with 
new ambitions, new life, and new thoughts, the 
student body resumed its college course. 

But the golden glamor of that fair and roman- 
tic goddess of truth and loyalty — Sabrina — had 
not been dulled by the few months — or years — of 
olive drab. Secret whispered conferences were 
lield by small groups; ''whens" and ''wheres" 
were asked. And the class of 1919 realized more 
poignantly than ever before that they had but a 
few remaining months in Amherst to wrest the 



NINETEEN TWENTY 93 

elusive goddess from the hands of her wily 
protectors. 

One cold evening in February, the first meet- 
ing of the year of Anti-Sabrina men was held to 
discuss the best means of capturing the much- 
sought goddess of the even classes. Deke Darl- 
ing, president of the class of 1919, Hal Seward, 
president of Student Council, 1919, Dave Soli- 
day, 1919, Francis Plimpton, president of class 
of 1921, and Rowell Schleicher, 1921, composed 
this Httle group of serious thinkers and would-be 
''sleuths." 

But before any adequate organization could be 
evolved among the ranks of the Odd Classmen, 
which were somewhat thinned by War absences, 
1920 held its Sabrina Banquet at Worcester. 
Plans for this affair were successfully laid and 
carried out with little intimation coming to the 
non-Sabrina men of the nature of the project 
under way before it actually took place. At- 
tempts were made to trail the statue after it had 
left Worcester, but these proved to be ineffectual. 
Stan Woodward, '17, was called over the tele- 
phone at his residence in Worcester and asked to 
go to the Bancroft to see if he could find any 
trace of the Goddess. Woodward proceeded at 
once to the banquet, but the Goddess had gone. 
As a last resort, he went to the local police head- 
quarters, swore out a warrant for the arrest of the 



94 SABRINA 

men in charge of the statue on the charge of har- 
boring property stolen from Amherst College. 
A cordon of police was promptly drawn up 
around the outskirts of Worcester, but by the 
time the arm of the law had stretched its net, 
Sabrina was gone. 

Excitement was intense that night in Amherst. 
Various rumors were on foot many of which were 
plausible, but none of which were based on any 
reliable foundation. The college had become 
addicted to rumor, possibly because of its long 
stay in the army, where rumors of a well-known 
character are rife. 

Although Odd Class attempts to shadow the 
statue on this occasion were unsuccessful, plans 
were made and subsequently carried out in great 
detail for an elaborate system by which the cap- 
ture of Sabrina might be effected. Certain 
occupants of houses on each of the main roads 
leading into and out of Amherst were interviewed, 
and they agreed to keep a sharp lookout for any 
suspicious looking vehicles which might pass 
their houses, and to keep the 1919 chairman 
posted in the event of any going by. In each 
Fraternity two or three men of the Odd Classes 
kept a watchful eye open for any useful informa- 
tion, and kept various Even Classmen, who were 
suspected of being connected in some way with 
the guardianship and most recent movement of 



NINETEEN TWENTY 95 

the statue, under strict surveillance. During 
baseball games, or at times when the entire col- 
lege body was gathered together and it seemed 
probable that an appearance might be attempted, 
men with telescopes watched the surrounding 
country from Chapel Tower, and wig-wagged to 
other Odd Classmen on the roof of the Beta 
Theta Pi House, but always their signals read, 
''Nothing in Sight." 

No detail was overlooked that might help the 
Odd Classmen capture Sabrina. Finally, one 
day. May 9, 1919, word was received about noon 
that the Even Class had chosen that evening to 
show Sabrina before a gathering at College Hall 
where the Sophomore Smoker was to be held. 
Plans were immediately laid for her capture. 
Three automobiles were hired, and certain Odd 
Classmen were told off to occupy each of these, 
which were stationed at different points; one 
back of the Psi U House, one on the road to 
Northampton, and one on the Holyoke Road. 
All were near telephones. 

At the appointed time that evening, Sabrina 
appeared before College Hall. A search light 
was flashed upon her for a second and then she 
disappeared in mad haste. The undergraduates 
and the guests of the college who had been lis- 
tening to the program at the Smoker in College 
Hall, poured out on the terrace, but were only 



96 SABRINA 

successful in catching a fleeting glimpse of the 
Goddess. Pursuit was immediately taken up. 
Machines in waiting, after a slight delay, gave 
chase. The Packard which had been hired in 
Amherst and which was occupied by Schleicher, 
Hatheway, Palmer and Zink, '21, managed to 
creep up on the Even Class cars on the Holyoke 
Road. As is usual in planning for a safe retreat 
for the Goddess, two cars were employed. 
Sabrina was being carried in a special Pack- 
ard, and Nash was following in his own car. 
Schleicher was seated in the back seat of the 
non-Sabrina car, and as they approached Nash's 
car he suddenly fired several shots which whizzed 
by Hatheway's ear. One of them reached its 
mark and a rear tire exploded on Nash's car 
which rolled heavily into the ditch, and the 
Packard tore by. The car in which Sabrina 
was being carried was by this time far ahead, 
and no trace of it could be found on the road. 
Arriving at Holyoke, the men decided that the 
Goddess might have been taken to Springfield, 
and accordingly, they went there. Finding 
nothing in the station or elsewhere they con- 
tinued to Worcester in the hopes that it might be 
the Even Class plan to hide it in the Bancroft, 
and that they might arrive there in time to pre- 
vent its removal to the hotel storage rooms, but 
here too their efforts were unrewarded. 



NINETEEN TWENTY 97 

Immediately after Sabrina had gone through, 
Seward and Sohday obtained a car from North- 
ampton and drove leisurely down the Holyoke 
Road hoping that the Even Classmen, after hav- 
ing taken a side road to allow their pursuers to 
pass them, might be returning over the same 
road they had previously travelled. They were 
the more firmly convinced that this was the plan 
of the Even Classmen for they had recently 
learned of the plans formulated by 1918, one of 
which was to have the Goddess appear several 
times in succession the same day, and they hoped 
that this idea might have taken root. However, 
Sabrina was by this time far away, and nothing 
of any importance was discovered on the way to 
Holyoke. Arriving there, the men telephoned 
Amherst. They got in touch with Schleicher 
who was then in Springfield and sent him on to 
Worcester as has been related above. After 
making a thorough search of Holyoke and vicin- 
ity they went slowly back to Amherst, sorely 
disappointed. 

This was the first time that Sabrina had been 
followed out of town by Odd Classmen. The 
pursuit was close, and the affair on the Notch, 
if the story related by those who participated in 
the battle can be given credence, was a fierce 
encounter fraught with considerable danger. 

All through that night, the Odd Classmen 



98 SABRINA 

waited for news of the capture of Sabrina, but 
when morning came the pursuers returned with 
more plans and plots and lots of ideas, but with- 
out Sabrina. Brisk, Palmer and Stanford '21 
appeared swathed with bandages. They, too, had 
been chasing Sabrina and had come to grief at the 
iron bridge which spans the Freshman River on 
the Holyoke Road beyond the powerhouse. Their 
driver had been at the wheel for many hours and 
sleep overpowered him as they rounded a curve 
at a high rate of speed. Witnesses who have 
seen the spot since, declare that the shock of the 
meeting of car and bridge moved the steel girders 
several inches. Be this as it may, the three men 
previously mentioned showed signs of some sort 
of an encounter of a disagreeable nature. 

Various rumors and clews were followed in the 
next few weeks to discover the Goddess' hiding 
place. One man reported that he had seen her 
being carried into a building back of The Draper; 
another that he had seen her in Deerfield; an- 
other still, not connected in any way with the 
college, offered for a mere $1000 to give "valu- 
able information." (The Odd Classmen never 
learned the value of this information, for they 
did not avail themselves of the privilege of buy- 
ing it.) When Commencement time came, 1919 
was graduated and Sabrina still reigned supreme 
in the hands of the Even Classes. 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 

SABRINA remained in her hiding place in 
Belchertown until the following March. All 
during the summer of 1919 activity was at 
a standstill, and the Goddess was not to venture 
forth again until her eventful journey to the Bos- 
ton Banquet. The Executive Committee of the 
Boston Alumni Association in drawing up its 
plans for the annual banquet, hit upon the idea of 
having Sabrina appear at the function. It was 
thought at this time that to show Sabrina to the 
Alumni body would not only stir up great enthusi- 
asm for the college among its graduates, but might 
also stir up some interest on the part of the outside 
world. Freeman Swett, '17, was a member of 
this committee and secretary of the association. 
He was given the duty of making the negotia- 
tions with the undergraduates concerning the 
possibility of bringing the statue down to Bos- 
ton. He accordingly got into communication 
with Roland A. Wood, '20, whom he knew very 
well. He wrote Wood that the Alumni wanted 
very much to borrow Sabrina for the occasion; 
that absolute secrecy should surround the entire 
affair, that no chances would be taken, and he 
gave him to understand that although he was an 
Odd Classman, the purpose of showing Sabrina 

99 



100 SABRINA 

was to stir up enthusiasm for the college, and not 
an attempt on the part of Odd Classmen to cap- 
ture the Goddess. Wood replied, and advised 
Swett to get in touch with Phillip See, the 1918 
guardian. Wood's letter is re-produced here as 
an interesting memento of subsequent events 
which culminated in the capture of Sabrina for 
the Odd Classmen. 

Whether Swett wrote to See about this matter 
is not known, but certain it is that Wood took 
up the matter with Low, the guardian, and Paul 
Phillips, president of the class. These men were 
so surprised at the project, and as it presented a 
new and novel problem with which previous 
Sabrina guardians had never had to cope, they 
decided they had better come on to Boston and 
talk the matter over with the former guardian. 

About two weeks before the date on which the 
banquet was to be held, an undergraduate came 
to Boston and met See. See was absolute in his 
refusal to endorse the proposition. He thought 
the proposed appearance to be exceedingly risky, 
and the value to the college to be derived from 
the pubhcity of its appearance altogether incom- 
mensurate with the danger that would be run. 
Somewhat influenced by this view, the under- 
graduate told the committee with whom he had 
conferred, consisting of a member of the Execu- 
tive Committee and two Even Classmen for- 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 101 

merly prominent in Sabrina activities, that he did 
not beheve that the Goddess could be used for 
such a purpose. He then returned to Amherst. 
The Even Class committee at college endorsed 
this refusal but finally gave in to the repeated 
requests of the alumni. They stated that the 
matter should be viewed, not as an interclass 
affair, but from the point of view of the alumni 
of the entire college. The whole idea was to give 
Amherst the same publicity that other colleges 
had been getting in Boston in past years. They 
reassured the guardian that all necessary pre- 
cautions should be taken, and that while the ex- 
ploit seemed daring, in reality the risk was small. 
The 1920 men thought the proposition over 
again and finally decided that they would sub- 
merge their class interests for the larger interest 
of the college as a whole, and accordingly gave 
their consent to the showing of Sabrina. The 
committee being reassured that the project 
would go through, left the matter of getting 
Sabrina to the banquet and of having her re- 
moved safely, to 1914 men. McGay, '14, was 
given charge of the affair, and he, accordingly, 
worked out his plans. He made a thorough 
inspection of the Copley Plaza, paying particu- 
lar attention to the interior arrangements, and 
adjoining neighborhood. There was a covered 
driveway running the entire length of the hotel, 



102 SABRINA 

upon which a door opened directly into the large 
ball room where the banquet was to be held. It 
was decided to bring the statue into the driveway 
on a truck a few minutes before the time sched- 
uled for her appearance, and then to carry her 
into the banquet hall, show her for a brief mo- 
ment, and withdraw, retreating along the same 
line that they had entered. 

Details were well worked out in advance. A 
''Zero Hour" was determined upon at which 
the statue was to appear, and all men connected 
with the showing were acquainted with this 
time. The seating of the Alumni at tables was 
so arranged that the Even Classmen should be 
grouped around the door at which the Goddess 
was to appear. Odd Class tables being relegated 
to far corners. Men were appointed to watch 
the doors and main exits of the hotel to be sure 
that no Odd Classmen left the building. It was 
planned to remove the lugs in the revolving doors 
so that they would be put out of commission, 
temporarily. Men were also to be stationed at 
the doors of the banquet hall leading to the main 
corridors of the hotel, to prevent anyone leaving. 

For the purpose of moving Sabrina, a large 
truck belonging to R. H. Stearns and Company 
was to be obtained. It was planned to ship 
Sabrina to the warehouse of the Miller Piano 
Company where she was to arrive during the 







V-. 



V_ 













L 



©-•-i-JvJD >-»-^ 



cX^.^!^' 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 103 

day, and be kept there until shortly before the 
''Zero Hour," when she was to be taken to the 
banquet, and after she had been shown, was to 
be immediately returned to the Miller Piano 
Company. All was now in readiness, but subse- 
quent changes in plans to conform to the different 
situation that the Even Classmen found on the 
night of the banquet were made. 

The first intimation that came to Odd Class- 
men that Sabrina might be shown at the banquet 
was at a Chi Phi luncheon in Boston when Phil 
See read a letter to the men there assembled 
written to him by Wood. This letter, which had 
been written some time previously, informed See 
of the proposal to show Sabrina at the Boston 
Banquet, and asked him for a statement of his 
opinion regarding the matter. See, having 
previously refused to sanction the appearance, 
was rather amused at the determination of the 
undergraduates to show Sabrina, and treated the 
matter as a huge joke. It was utterly beyond 
his comprehension that the intentions of the 
Even Classmen could be serious. 

Boynton, '19, was at the luncheon and became 
tremendously excited at the letter read by See. 
That afternoon he telephoned Seward and re- 
peated to him what See had said at the luncheon 
that day. Seward, while not altogether con- 
vinced that Sabrina was to be shown, because 



104 SABRINA 

of the openness with which See had disclosed 
the matter, agreed with Boynton to get in touch 
with McGregor '19, and talk the matter over. 
That night, Seward saw McGregor and they 
decided that the likelihood of Sabrina's really 
coming was slight, but that at the same time it 
would be advisable to make some plans to wel- 
come the Goddess if she should put in an appear- 
ance. The banquet was a large occasion, and it 
did not seem wise to let even the rumor which 
had come to their attention go by without mak- 
ing some preparations. It so happened that 
McGregor was acquainted with a detective who 
had a large organization in Boston, and with 
whom his father had often had business and 
personal dealings. Accordingly, this man, whom 
we shall here call Mr. Williams, was taken into 
consultation. At the first meeting with Mr. 
Williams the matter was talked over in a rather 
vague and loose way, and nothing of any note 
was done. 

Seward shortly afterwards went to New York 
to see Soliday. In going over the possibility of 
an appearance of Sabrina at an alumni function 
attended by both Odd and Even Classmen, they 
were impressed with the honor that would come 
to the Even Classes in the event of success to them 
and determined to lay as complete plans as events 
warranted. Later on Rowell Schleicher, '21, 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 105 

who had charge of non-Sabrina activities in Col- 
lege, was requested to come to Boston, and 
another meeting was held with Mr. Williams. 

By this time, the probability of the Sabrina 
proposition going through was somewhat stronger, 
and a detailed plan was developed by which 
to capture the statue if it appeared. The first 
thing to do was to get a clear understanding and 
thorough knowledge of the ins and outs of the 
Hotel Copley Plaza. Accordingly, Seward and 
McGregor made a complete inspection of the 
building at an early date. The most prominent 
feature of the layout was the covered driveway, 
previously mentioned, which runs through the 
entire building from Trinity Place to Dartmouth 
Street. It became clear that if Sabrina was to 
be shown inside the Copley that this driveway 
was the logical place of entrance and retreat. 
Several doors were observed leading into the ball 
room, which were used for bringing in supplies, 
and it was evident that these doors could easily 
be opened for Sabrina. 

It was determined at a subsequent meeting 
with Schleicher and Mr. Williams that the best 
method of capture was to attempt to take the 
statue after it had made its appearance, and that 
it would be unwise to try to seize it, before it 
was taken into the driveway. Accordingly, they 
decided to hire several cars for pursuit purposes. 



106 SABRINA 

and with which to block the car carrying Sabrina, 
if possible. The matter of hiring and manning 
the machines was left to Mr. Williams. After 
going over the plans again, Schleicher went back 
to Amherst where he was to report immediately 
any occurrences of a suspicious nature. 

In the meantime, the Executive Committee in 
charge of the banquet had printed an announce- 
ment of the affair. This embodied a program 
of the various entertainment features that were 
to be held. A large question mark appeared as 
the last announcement, and this, together with 
the accompanjdng wording, could mean nothing 
to Odd Classmen but that Sabrina was to be 
shown. The Odd Classmen were now firmly 
convinced that the appearance was to be at- 
tempted. Plans were again gone over carefully 
and complete secrecy surrounded them. No one 
was told of the arrangements which had been 
made, nor was the Executive Committee ques- 
tioned as to the probability of Sabrina's being 
shown. These in brief were the complete plans 
of the Odd Classmen, and as subsequent happen- 
ings prove, they were well drawn up and care- 
fully prepared, although some changes were found 
to be necessary on the night of the banquet. 

The story of the journey of Sabrina to Boston 
has been prepared as here submitted by Paul 
Phillips, President of the class of 1920. 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 107 

At the time the Even Classmen gave their 
consent to bring Sabrina to the Boston Banquet, 
it was just about physically impossible to get the 
statue there because of the weather conditions. 
One of the members of the Sabrina Committee, 
Cowles, got the statue from its hiding place in 
Belchertown, boxed it up and put it on a train 
at Springfield for Boston. This in itself was 
considerable of a task, for the statue was buried 
beneath two feet of frozen earth. To quote 
Phillips' report: ''We felt no compunction in 
sending her via express, which is contrary to our 
rules, because we were not serving the interests 
of the Even Classes, but those of the college. We 
had already shown the Lady as the rules called 
for, and we were doing this at the request 
of the Alumni, as a College and as a two class 
affair — serving alike the interests of both Odd 
and Even Classes. She was safely received at 
a wayside station just out of Boston and 
was received by the ' chief, '^ and carried away 
into hiding until the time of her appearance. 
The chief sent the men who accompanied the 
Lady back to Amherst. He wanted no case of 
divided authority in Boston, and wanted the 
alumni to take all the responsibility. Another 
reason for this was the fact that the sight of 

1 Phillips refers to McGay who was in charge of the Boston end 
of the appearance as "the chief." 



108 SABRINA 

Even Class undergraduates in Boston at this time 
would excite the suspicion of Odd Classmen, who 
knew nothing of the plan." 

The wayside station mentioned above was 
Framingham. Later investigation has revealed 
the fact that Cowles, '20 and Scott, '22, accom- 
panied the statue to Framingham where they 
were sent back to Amherst as Phillips states. 
McGay and Miller, '14, took Sabrina in a truck 
to Boston and placed her in the warehouse of the 
Miller Piano Company as had been previously 
planned. McGay describes this as follows: ^'Sa- 
brina was brought to Framingham by express after 
a twelve mile drive by sled on the other end, the 
morning of the event. Stan Miller and I met the 
two undergraduates who brought her down and 
put her aboard one of Miller's trucks and took 
her to the Henry Miller Piano Company on 
Boylston Street. She stayed there until a few 
minutes before she was shown at the banquet." 

McGay supplies the information that it was 
originally intended to have Sabrina carried into 
the banquet by officers of the Boston Alumni 
Association, of which officers seven were Odd 
Classmen. The fact that this plan was not carried 
out, offers convincing proof that the Odd Classmen 
who captured Sabrina were not "tipped off" by 
any of the Executive Committee, or in any way 
aided in their attempts. 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 109 

The forty-ninth Annual Banquet of the Boston 
Alumni Association of Amherst College was held 
on Wednesday Evening March 3, 1920 at the 
Hotel Copley Plaza. It was a great affair. The 
principle speakers were prominent alumni, among 
whom were Governor Coolidge, since elected 
Vice-President of the United States, President 
Meiklejohn, Professor Barker, and Rush Rhees, 
President of Rochester University. Judge Ed- 
ward C. Estey presided. Among the six hundred 
or more alumni present were men of practically 
every class since the year '57, of which class 
several men put in an appearance. It is inter- 
esting to note that at this time prolonged ap- 
plause greeted the reference to Gov. Coolidge's 
presidential chances. ''Tug" Wilson, president 
of the Amherst Alumni Association of Chicago 
urged the Boston Alumni to bring the governor 
to the convention the following fall and make him 
president, and at this suggestion the hotel re- 
sounded with Amherst cheers. 

While President Meiklejohn was paying trib- 
ute to the lasting interest of college traditions, 
the folding doors at the side of the hall suddenly 
opened and a huge representation of a bottle of 
Gordon's Gin was brought into the room. When 
it had progressed well into the center of the group 
of Even Class tables, which were placed in a 
circle around the door, the effigy was torn aside 



no SABRINA 

and Sabrina in all her loveliness was revealed to 
the astonished gaze of the men there present. 
The cheering which broke loose, and the conflict- 
ing cries of Odd and Even Classes filled the hotel, 
while frantic scurrying about on the part of 
Odd Classmen, and the self-congratulatory back- 
slapping of Even Classmen heightened the ex- 
citement. The statue was quickly withdrawn 
and President Meiklejohn was allowed to con- 
tinue his address, which we fear fell upon the 
ears of a more inattentive audience than ever 
sat in Walker Hall for a Freshman Math class. 

Rumors floated about freely to the effect that 
Sabrina had been captured, that Sabrina had 
escaped, and that Sabrina was coming back, 
when Boynton, '19, during a pause between the 
speeches, announced in loud voice that Sabrina 
had been taken and was in the hands of the class of 
1919. This was the signal for Odd Classmen to 
give vent to all the pent-up enthusiasm which had 
been accumulating over a long period of twenty- 
nine years. If the Copley had resounded with 
"All hails" when the Goddess put in her ap- 
pearance, it now fairly vibrated with the trium- 
phant paeans of Odd Classmen. 

It is necessary at this point to go back in the 
story to the point at which Sabrina was left in 
the warehouse of the Miller Piano Company. 
To again quote McGay 's version of the escapade : 




FLOOR PLAN, HOTEL COPLEY-PLAZA 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 111 

— "It was planned to bring Sabrina into the 
banquet at 9:30 P. M. There was a man at 
each door of the hotel to pull the plungers out of 
the revolving doors and to hold them for three 
minutes after she came in. A fake car ran into 
the covered alley-way on to which the banquet 
hall opened. Of course, there were men watch- 
ing outside for any trouble, and the driver of 
the R. H. Stearns Company's truck was to be 
signalled if any trouble was brewing. Not being 
able to find any Odd Classmen outside, they evi- 
dently thought things were O. K. and let her 
come in. . . ." 

Sabrina was brought to the Copley from the 
Miller Piano Company's warehouse in the truck 
which had been secured as planned from R. H. 
Stearns and Company, a few moments before the 
scheduled time of her appearance. To again 
quote McGay. "I had charge of the inside and 
was to stop it (Sabrina) from coming if anything 
looked bad. All went well inside and Sabrina ap- 
peared on time covered by a large paper bottle 
advertising Gordon's Gin. She was uncovered 
and a ring formed around her and she was kept 
there for a minute or two, then taken out to the 
truck, and the door was locked. . . ." 

Here we must again retrace our steps in order 
to give at this point the plans and actions of the 
Odd Classmen at this occasion. When Seward 



112 SABRINA 

and McGregor arrived at the Copley that even- 
ing, they took a final look around to see if their 
plans were so laid as to assure success. The 
first thing which attracted their attention on 
entering the banquet hall was that the tables 
had been so arranged that Odd Class interfer- 
ence in the event of the statue being brought into 
the banquet hall through the doors, in the way 
they had anticipated, was practically impossible. 
The Even Class tables were grouped closely in the 
center of the room and around the door leading 
into the driveway, and Odd Class tables were 
in a ring further away. The table set aside for 
'19 was in the corner of the room farthest from 
the suspected door, and directly beneath the 
speaker's table, an unusual place to put the 
youngest graduating class. This arrangement 
of tables practically convinced the Odd Classmen 
that Sabrina was to appear, and they accordingly 
completed their plans hastily. Neiley, '19, 
promptly hired another automobile, and after 
Seward and McGregor had gone out and talked 
with the men whom Mr. Williams had sent there 
in cars, as had been previously decided, they 
returned to the banquet and took their places at 
the tables. But before entering the banquet 
hall, they looked carefully around the hotel for 
means of exit in case the Goddess was brought 
in. They found two ready means of leaving in 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 113 

a hurry from where the 1919 table was placed. 
One of these was through the kitchen, and the 
other a stairway that led to the second floor from 
where easy access could be made to the ground 
floor through the musicians gallery and upper 
corridor. Thus, reassured of a line of retreat, 
they decided they had better stay inside the 
banquet hall to avert suspicion, and sat down 
outwardly calm, but inwardly agitated. 

Every half hour one of the Odd Classmen left 
the building and looked up some of Mr. WilHams 
men outside. The machines were stationed on 
both sides of the building on which the driveway 
opened. One was placed in front of the hotel 
as well. These machines were if possible, to 
block the truck carrying Sabrina as it came out 
of the driveway, and if not, to follow. 

At half past nine a taxicab entered the drive- 
way and remained there for a few minutes and 
then disappeared. Not one of the blocking cars 
moved, for they saw through the Even Class 
ruse. The Sabrina guardians, convinced that 
all was well, now appeared with the R. H. 
Stearns covered truck carrying Sabrina. This 
car entered the driveway and almost immediately 
profound cheering was heard from the inside of 
the building. As it came out the cars provided 
by Mr. Williams moved towards it. 

At this point it will aid the reader to consult 



114 SABRINA 

the accompanying chart of the plan of the Cop- 
ley Plaza, and the plan of the streets of Boston 
in that neighborhood. This plan has been drawn 
to represent graphically the line of flight, pur- 
suit and capture of Sabrina as it took place. It 
should be borne in mind at the same time that 
this had been an unusually severe Winter and 
that the streets were piled high with melting 
snow-drifts. 

As the truck emerged from the entrance, the 
car which had been secured by Neiley successfully 
blocked it. The two cars collided, but serious 
injury was not done to either. The truck im- 
mediately backed away and its driver quickly 
decided to steer around the car in his way. Ac- 
cordingly, he veered to the left towards a heavy 
drift of snow, and not taking regard of the con- 
sequences of his act, plowed into it head fore- 
most. This was a rash move for the truck soon 
became stalled in the heavy drifts which came 
well up over the hubs of the wheels. It was stuck 
so fast that it was not removed from the drift 
until next morning, although heroic attempts 
were made at the time to break it loose. 

In the meantime, as soon as Sabrina had ap- 
peared inside the banquet hall, Seward and Mc- 
Gregor rushed out of the hotel by means of the 
second story exit they had previously discovered. 
Boynton, by a trick of fate, had been standing 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 115 

near a main exit of the ball room when the statue 
was ushered in, and was the first to appear on 
the scene as the R. H. Stearns truck emerged 
from the driveway. He got into the machine 
hired by Neiley just before it was struck by the 
van. Seward and McGregor came up just as the 
truck stalled in the snow and Seward in a moment 
of excitement grasped the statue with both hands 
in an attempt to drag it from the truck, not 
knowing what he would do with it if he did get 
it. An Even Classman pursuaded him to desist, 
asking, ''Who are you?" " I am an Even Class- 
man, 1918," he replied. He then went over and 
sat in a Ford which had also been hired by the 
Odd Classmen, and McGregor joined Boynton in 
the car which had blocked Sabrina. 

The Even Classmen, seeing their two cars 
stuck, became rather excited and rushed madly 
to and fro without taking any steps to remove 
the statue from the spot. A suggestion was 
made to the men in charge of Sabrina that they 
put the statue in the Ford in which Seward was 
sitting. Some men, it is not known to this day 
whom, took Sabrina from the truck and put her 
in the Ford in compliance with this suggestion. 
Fords were not built to admit of the easy en- 
trance of three hundred pound ladies, who are 
rather obstinate in the matter of their posture, 
and as a result Sabrina's toe was broken in the 



116 SABRINA 

mad haste with which she was piled into the 
tonneau of the Ford. Kimball, and Moulton, 
'14, got into the rear seat with the statue. 
Seward and two of Mr. Williams' men occupied 
the front seat. As the car moved off in the rear 
of the Westminster Hotel, McGay hung on the 
running board, but a moment later, seeing two 
Even Classmen in the car with the Goddess, 
dropped off, sajdng, ''You watch Sabrina and 
I'll follow in the next car." 

The car moved on through the streets around 
Trinity Station and swung into Clarendon Street, 
down Clarendon across Boylston to Common- 
wealth, where it swung to the left toward Massa- 
chusetts Avenue. During this ride the Even 
Classmen continually directed the driver, whom 
they thought was working in their interests, to 
turn to the left so that they might get back to 
the warehouse of the Miller Piano Company 
where Sabrina was supposed to be taken. But 
the driver, who knew what he was about, re- 
peatedly refused to comply with their requests, 
saying that the ruts in the snow were so deep 
that he could not swing the car out of them. 
All this time Odd Class cars manned by Mr. 
Williams' men, and several Even Class cars 
followed closely in the rear. 

As the car turned to the right into Massachu- 
setts Avenue one of the Even Classmen whose 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 117 

suspicions were aroused by this time, leaned over 
and pushed the driver forward, at the same time 
giving the wheel a jerk to the left. The driver, 
falling forward on the foot levers, stalled the 
Ford, and it stood motionless in the center of 
the street. A dispute arose as to what should 
be done next as the other cars came up. The 
Odd Classmen made all the confusion and noise 
that was possible, so as not to give the Even 
Classmen a chance to get off by themselves and 
think clearly. They were helped in this to some 
extent by the drivers as well. 

As luck would have it Mr. Williams arrived on 
the scene at this time. He came up to the car 
in the guise of a special police officer and asked 
what all the trouble was about. He was im- 
mediately assured that there was no trouble at 
all. Looking in the back of the car he saw the 
battered statue of Sabrina. '^What's that thing 
in there?" he asked. ''It's a statue," replied 
various men. ''Who does it belong to?" asked 
Williams. " It belongs to us. It belongs to us," 
said the Odd and Even Classmen in the same 
voice. "Well, why not go down to the Police 
Station and straighten the matter out?" said 
Williams. "That's a good idea," said the Odd 
Classmen, and the Even Classmen reluctantly 
acceded to this proposal. The Even Classmen 
at once attempted to hire the Ford to make sure 



118 SABRINA 

there would be no question of authority once 
they were under way. The driver readily fell in 
with their offer and named twenty five dollars as 
his price. ''Well, we'll pay that" said the Even 
Classmen, but the driver, trying to make time 
for the Odd Classmen put up an argument 
about his hat, which had been lost. ''I don't go 
until I get paid for my hat" he said, 'Tve lost 
my hat." ''Well, we'll pay you for your hat," 
said the Even Classmen. " Well, I want it now," 
said the driver. Thus, he added to the general 
confusion. Two Even Classmen who had been 
in the rear seat with Sabrina, got out of the car 
and only Kimball remained. Mr. Williams saw 
to it that they remained outside, and that he and 
his men took their places in the back of the car. 
Seward, fearing that he might be recognized, 
also left the car with Sabrina and entered the 
machine in which McGregor had followed closely 
behind, Boynton having stayed at the hotel. 

The Ford now started out, supposedly on its 
way to the Police Station to settle the matter of 
the disputed possession of the Goddess, who had 
all this time been resting serenely in the rear 
of the car, unperturbed by all the excitement 
which her presence was causing. The driver of 
the car, having received his instructions in some 
detail previously, now swung to the right off 
Massachusetts Avenue and ran down some side 



C h ar\es 



River 




STREETS OF BOSTON 
The Line of Flight 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 119 

streets, eventually making a complete circle of 
the block. Two cars in the employ of the Odd 
Classmen were waiting at the corner, and as the 
calvacade approached, the car bearing Sabrina 
was allowed to pass and go out on Massachusetts 
Avenue toward Cambridge. The second car 
containing Even Classmen was cleverly blocked. 
Just as it came to the corner the Odd Class car 
shot out in front of it, driving up to the curbstone 
where the two cars collided gently. In the car 
following were Seward and McGregor, and this 
drove around the two cars jammed on the side- 
walk and followed Sabrina out over the Harvard 
Bridge into Cambridge. Several hundred yards 
behind came a lone Ford which had been waiting 
on Massachusetts Avenue for the return of the 
cavalcade to the main highway, and this was 
closely followed by two Even Class machines. 
By zigzagging across the bridge, making ^'S's" 
and by other feats of driving, the Ford managed 
to block the roadway completely, thus prevent- 
ing the machines behind, which had succeeded in 
breaking away, from following Sabrina, who was 
by this time out of sight and far away. The 
Ford bearing Sabrina headed at a good rate for 
Cambridge, in which, as has been related, were 
Kimball, '14, and four of Mr. Williams men. 
Arriving in Cambridge the car turned off to the 
right beyond Central Square and dodged in and 



120 SABRINA 

out among the dark streets of that neighborhood 
for some time. When convinced that pursuit 
had been effectually cut off, they came to a stop. 
McGregor and Seward came up in their car and 
together with Mr. Williams they approached 
Kimball. Kimball was finally convinced of the 
utter uselessness of any attempt to resist, and 
accordingly agreed with the proposal that he 
return to Boston with McGregor and Seward. 
This he did, and Sabrina was at once taken to the 
residence of Mr. Williams as had been previously 
planned. 

Returning to the banquet Seward and Mc- 
Gregor found the speeches well under way, and 
that the function had resumed a normal aspect. 
Boynton was sought out and told to make his 
announcement as chronicled above, which he did. 

In the meantime a telegram had been sent 
to Schleicher at Amherst announcing the capture, 
and he speedily spread the news about the campus 
that Sabrina was for the first time in twenty- 
nine years the Goddess of the Odd Classes. The 
following extract from the Amherst Student for 
March 4, 1920, amply describes the effect which 
the magic news had upon the undergraduates. 

"At exactly 10:45 -last night Schleicher, '21, 
in Amherst, received the following telegram from 
Seward and McGregor: — 

''Sabrina appeared. We have her." 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 121 

Swiftly the news ran about the college. Groups 
of Odd Classmen joined in singing the Sabrina 
song in celebration. A huge bonfire was kindled 
in front of the Library, and the Chapel bell was 
tolled vigorously. As the rumor was spread it 
was distorted, and many and wild were the 
versions circulated about college in the early 
hours of the morning. Chapel was turned into 
a Sabrina celebration, the doxology giving way 
to the Sabrina song, and the usually sedate pre- 
lude swelling in a Paean of Triumph. After the 
Sabrina song, the Freshman exhibited a lurid 
banner on which was printed ''Sabrina Day — 
No Classes." After that the Freshman de- 
camped in a body followed by most of the Junior 
class." 

It has been thought advisable to re-print here 
the account of the Boston Banquet which is 
written by one of the Even Classmen who was 
closely in touch with all happenings: — McGay. 

"The statue was shown for a minute or two 
and then backed out to the truck and the door 
locked from behind. We got out of the alley- 
way and turned to the right to find on coming 
out that every taxi was getting ready to move on. 
At the first corner a big machine moved out and 
blocked the way. Remember the snow was so 
deep that there was only room for one car to go 
down. The truck hit it and knocked it partly to 



122 SABRINA 

one side, but stalled its engine in so doing. I 
hopped on the running board and grabbed the 
steering wheel of the car ahead so it could not 
start going again, and the truck started to swing 
around it. It went up to the hubs with about 
four feet more to go and could not be moved. 
That's how near we came to getting away as 
Miller's car was right behind the truck, and if they 
had reached solid ground this car could have 
blocked the rest. By the way, the only man out- 
side of Even Classmen whom I saw during the 
entire performance who might have been an Am- 
herst man, was in the car that blocked the truck. 
He was a little dark-haired fellow in evening dress. 
When I got aboard he tried to come over from the 
back seat and get me off, and I firmly but gently 
put him back where he started from. You might 
ask Seward who he is for my satisfaction. ^ I 
started back to get some more of the gang. 
Meanwhile, Sabrina was in the truck in perfect 
safety with about twelve Even huskies over her. 
We had not gone fifty feet when I saw her being 
carried across the street to an open Ford. I 
hot-footed it back but she was inside by then so 
I jumped on the running board with Big Dick 
Kimball and Moulton inside with the two drivers. 
Bunny Shaw was right behind in a taxi, so I 
dropped off and got inside his car and followed. 

^This was Nehemiah Boynton Jr. of the class of 1919. 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 123 

We went about ten blocks and ended up on 
Massachusetts Avenue where Kimball made 
them halt as they had picked up three or four 
other cars by then. The four of us tried to get 
Sabrina into our taxi, but she was wedged and 
we could not get her out. We argued and talked 
and moved around the corner trying to buy our 
way out. It was finally decided that we would 
go to the Police Station, and we started off, Big 
Dick with Sabrina and the driver in the car. 
Bunny and I following, went around the block 
when we hit Massachusetts Avenue. Two cars 
cornered ours while Sabrina started across 
Harvard Bridge. We finally got by but she 
was almost across and we lost her in the winding 
streets about half way to Harvard Square. 
Dick cleaned up the two detectives but they were 
met by some other cars and he was shipped back 
to Boston." 

This account of McGay's of the happenings 
around the Hotel Copley and in the streets of 
Boston and Cambridge, coincides in all details 
with the main account given above which was 
compiled from data and memoranda which 
certain Odd Classmen had preserved as souvenirs 
of the occasion, as well as from the memory of 
the principle characters involved in the escapade. 

Thus, Sabrina changed hands for the first time 
in twenty-nine years. The happenings surround- 



124 SABRINA 

ing the capture were as exciting as any which 
had previously taken place in any adventure in 
which the Goddess has been the center of attrac- 
tion. At first glance it would seem that the loss 
of the statue by the Even Classes was altogether 
uncalled for, and yet a comprehensive knowledge 
of the efforts of the Odd Classes, which extended 
back to the entrance of the class of 1919 into 
Amherst College, and even before that, makes 
it clear that while the men who actually cap- 
tured Sabrina did get certain breaks at the 
time, their plans were well laid, their determina- 
tion unflagging, and the success of their venture 
came as a well deserved reward for the efforts of 
all Odd Classmen. 

Those who subsequently came in contact with 
the Even Classmen who were directly in charge 
of the statue had the feeling that they regarded 
the Sabrina tradition as too much of a one-sided 
affair. While it was always tacitly assumed that 
Sabrina should be regarded as the possession of 
the Odds if they were fortunate enough to cap- 
ture her, several of these men seemed to have 
the view that Odd Class opposition was really 
nothing but a small side of the tradition ; one to 
add zest to the affair; and that the idea of Odd 
Classmen really possessing the statue was not 
included in the rules. It can only be here said 
lihat the strong feeling of the Evens at the loss of 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 125 

their Goddess is the best assurance that the 
tradition will be kept up in the future. 

Viewing the matter historically and tracing 
the events which led up over a long period to the 
capture of the Goddess, several factors seem to 
be responsible. Up to and after the class of 
1916 had left Amherst, the rules governing the 
guardianship of Sabrina were regarded as 
sacred; any deviation from the letter of the law, 
and putting any other interpretation upon these 
rules than that handed down by precedent was 
altogether out of the question. Winthrop Smith, 
'16 guardian, discloses the fact that in those 
days Sabrina could not be moved or shown 
without the consent of the two previous guar- 
dians. This rule, as has been shown, was sub- 
sequently violated, not in bad faith, but be- 
cause strict adherence to these laws and conform- 
ance to the spirit of the tradition gradually broke 
down. Many causes seem to be responsible for 
this breakdown, and one of them certainly is 
the dissipating effect that the participation of 
the college body in war activities had upon the 
Sabrina tradition. Not only were the guardians 
scattered far apart, making communication an 
impossibility, but the idea back of the tradition 
was weakened. The '18 temporary guardian, 
Hal Johnson, took a more idealistic view of the 
real purpose of Sabrina than had any of the 



126 SABRINA 

former guardians. He discarded some of the 
provisions which had marked the tradition in 
the past, and broadly chose to view the matter 
as a means of benefiting the entire college body 
rather than the preservation of the loyalty of the 
Even Classmen to an imaginary Goddess. Due 
largely to this fact, Odd Classmen, when they 
went into conference with Johnson and the other 
temporary guardians, were bound to meet with 
more consideration than would have been the 
case in former years. 

Undoubtedly, the rules did more to crystallize 
the Sabrina tradition as an affair of the whole 
college rather than of the Even Classes, than any 
other event. The result was the determination 
on the part of the class of 1920 to show Sabrina 
more in the course of one year than she had ever 
been shown before, even though the under- 
taking involved considerable risk. Be it said 
to the everlasting credit of this class, they did 
give the college more thrills in the matter of 
Sabrina appearances than had ever been experi- 
enced before. 

This feeling, that Sabrina was a college affair, 
culminated in the decision to lend the statue to 
the Boston Alumni. The Even Class guardians 
expressly say that their consent in this matter 
was caused by their desire to aid the college in 
the matter of publicity. The violation of the 







H in 

X- o 

Hi/ Sac 



0^ 



THE BOSTON BANQUET 127 

rules which the giving of this consent constituted 
was again not bad faith, nor carelessness, but 
lack of knowledge that such rules existed. This 
point more than anything else bears out the 
assertion that Sabrina had ceased to be a closed 
proposition governed by hierarchy of former 
guardians, and more of a distinctly under- 
graduate affair. 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 

EVENTS subsequent to the Boston Ban- 
quet are here summarized by the men 
who played the principle parts in them. 
Directly after Sabrina had been captured Schlei- 
cher came to Boston. Soliday also came up 
from Philadelphia and the guardianship of Sa- 
brina was officially given to him. 

The statue was left at the home of Mr. Williams 
for three days while a box was being made for it. 
After this, Sabrina went to Fitchburg. She was 
shipped there on a train in care of a Mr. Wallace, 
a manufacturer of that city, where it remained 
one day to make sure that it was not being fol- 
lowed. The new guardian felt quite justified in 
moving the statue by train even though in seem- 
ing violation of the rules adopted while they were 
in college, because of the weather conditions, 
and because the class of 1920 had committed the 
same violation three days previous, in shipping 
the statue to Boston over the Boston and Albany. 

On the following day the statue was taken by 
machine to Winchendon, Massachusetts, and 
secreted in the warehouse of H. B. Converse, a 
toy manufacturer of that town. Here it was 
kept until April 19. The Odd Classmen in 
charge of Sabrina, because they were graduated 

128 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 129 

from the college, and because they felt that the 
Goddess should be turned over to the class of 
1921 as soon as possible, decided to have the 
Goddess put in an appearance at Amherst in 
the hands of the undergraduates. Accordingly, 
Monday April 19, 1920 was determined upon in 
joint conference with the undergraduates as a 
date upon which to show the statue. Plans were 
accordingly laid; all details and arrangements at 
the Amherst end being left entirely to Schleicher, 
while Odd Class graduates concerned themselves 
only with bringing the statue to Amherst. It 
was decided to show Sabrina at Chapel exercises. 
It was pretty well understood in the college that 
Sabrina might appear at any time, and accord- 
ingly, the element of surprise had to be relied 
upon strongly in making any preparations. 
The arrangements at Amherst were completed 
and the necessary machines to act as pursuit 
cars were hired. These machines were obtained 
in Boston to avert any suspicion that might 
arise if they were hired around Amherst. 

All during this period Seward and McGregor 
were closely shadowed in Boston by men who, 
even at the distance at which they followed, were 
obviously and unmistakably agents of the Ryder 
Detective Agency. To entirely divert suspicion 
that any undertaking connected with Sabrina 
was on foot, Seward and McGregor went to 



130 SABRINA 

Amherst the week end before the date set for the 
appearance, and fortunately, there was a dance 
at the Psi U. House which they attended. 
Sohday did not come to Amherst this week end, 
as it was fairly well known that he might be 
guardian, and it was felt that his presence in 
Amherst would point rather definitely to the 
attempted appearance of the Goddess. To 
heighten the effect Seward and McGregor re- 
turned to Boston Sunday night. 

Some time before, in looking for a machine 
which was suitable for carrying Sabrina, McGregor 
happened to mention to some friends of his, who 
were then undergraduates in Harvard College, 
that an appearance of the statue might be a 
possibility in the near future. The affair at the 
Copley had resulted in considerable pubUcity 
for Sabrina and Amherst in and around Bos- 
ton, and these two men, albeit from a college 
with somewhat different ideals and tendencies, 
readily became enthusiastic about the proposed 
showing. Maurice Curran Jr., Harvard, '20, 
offered his Mercer to McGregor for the occasion, 
and his courtesy was promptly accepted. John 
Ladensack Jr., and Lee Evans Jr., both of Har- 
vard, also wished to go along as a body-guard. 
Consent was given for it was felt that the pres- 
ence of these men while Sabrina was being moved 
around Boston and the vicinity would avert all 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 131 

suspicion as to what was going on. So these men 
met Seward and McGregor at the latters house 
at eight o'clock on Sunday evening and they all 
set out for Winchendon in Curran's Mercer and 
McGregor's Stearns. The latter started off in 
a rather inauspicious fashion, as he was arrested 
in Harvard Square for violating a traffic ordi- 
nance. The arm of the law was dodged here, 
however, or Sabrina might not have appeared 
the following morning. 

The plan was for the men to proceed to Win- 
chendon, get the statue and go at once to 
Amherst, where they were to meet Schleicher 
before Chapel in front of the post-office, to make 
sure that everything was in readiness. Schlei- 
cher was to have two men beside himself on hand 
to greet Sabrina, and one man stationed out- 
side Chapel to wait for Sabrina to come up 
College Street, when he was to rush into the 
building and announce that Sabrina was outside 
on the Holyoke Road. It was figured out 
that this would take just long enough for the 
car to arrive on the Holyoke Road at the foot 
of Chapel Hill. While the college body came 
out, Sabrina was to be lifted to view and then 
taken down the Holyoke Road over the Notch, 
shifted to another car to throw off possible 
pursuit, and taken back to Winchendon, while 
Schleicher returned to Amherst. 



132 SABRINA 

The men in the two cars, after their misadven- 
ture in Harvard Square, moved down along the 
Fitchburg Road. Disaster was nearly to over- 
take them more than once before the close of 
that evening, however. 

A short distance outside of Concord, McGregor 
was driving, when suddenly his lights went out. 
He was travelling at a high rate of speed and as 
his car started for the ditch McGregor tried to 
stop the car in the darkness, but it caromed off 
to the side of the road and ran into a fence which 
borders the highway at this point. Hastily 
getting out of the car, the men looked it over to 
find the extent of the damage done. Fortunately, 
only one mud-guard was missing, and the running 
gear appeared to be in working condition. It 
took some time to drag the car back on to the 
road, and an even longer time to find out what 
was the trouble with the lights. As it was, the 
hghts worked fitfully from that time on, and the 
men had to drive in the dark most of the night. 
Curran and Seward had been in front of McGregor 
when he met with his accident, and failed to 
take any note of it for some time. After they 
had proceeded some ten miles up the road they 
missed their pursuit car, and began to wonder 
what had happened. Doubling back, their 
worry increasing as they retraced their route, 
they came to the spot where McGregor's car 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 133 

lay in the ditch and helped place it back on the 
road. 

The party now started on again but with their 
nerves considerably on edge. Taking any ride 
which has Sabrina as its destination is far from 
having a calming influence upon one, and the 
accident which had happened thus without warn- 
ing, did a great deal to undermine the confidence 
of the men and prepare them for most anything. 

The cars were now running completely off 
schedule, but speeded up to the best of their 
ability towards Winchendon, where they arrived 
at one o'clock, two hours late. They proceeded 
directly to the factory of H. B. Converse, and 
met the owner, who admitted them to the ware- 
house where Sabrina was in hiding. The statue 
was quickly unpacked and placed in McGregor's 
car, and they started out on the last lap of their 
journey towards Amherst just as dawn was 
breaking. They picked up two cars which were 
hired for the occasion in Athol. 

All speed was made towards Greenfield. 
Arriving here, a stop was made a short distance 
out of town and Sabrina was transferred to the 
Mercer. The expedition now proceeded forward 
at a great pace in an effort to make up lost time, 
and arriving at the Massachusetts Agricultural 
College at eight o'clock, the cavalcade split. 
The Mercer and McGregor's car proceeded to 



134 SABRINA 

the foot of College Street by the back streets of 
town, past Pratt Infirmary and the Deke House, 
and one car went over the Notch to await the 
arrival of Sabrina after she was shown. Another 
car was sent to meet Schleicher in front of the 
post-office. It was indeed a wonder that the 
arrival of Sabrina in town was not noticed, for 
the cars kicked up clouds of dust as they sped 
through town. 

Schleicher reported that everything was quiet, 
and then he went to the underpass of the 
Central Vermont Railroad on College Street, 
where he met Palmer, and Zink, '21. Sabrina 
was waiting in the Mercer with Curran at the 
wheel and Seward on the front seat with him. 
Palmer, Zink and Schleicher got into the Mercer 
and at 8:21 the car started for Chapel, closely 
followed by McGregor in his Stearns, in which 
were Evans and Ladensack. As they moved 
slowly up College Street the top of the Mercer 
was thrown back. As the car passed the Chi 
Phi House, Hatheway, '21, who was stationed in 
front of Chapel, recognized it by the red ribbons 
which were flying from the radiator cap and 
promptly rushed into Chapel and made his 
stirring announcement. 

The Mercer now jumped forward, turned to 
the left, drove on past the Octagon and out on 
the Holyoke Road. Arriving at the foot of 




DAVID S. SOLIDAY 
1919 Guardian 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 135 

College Hill it came to a stop, and Sabrina, as 
she was lifted up by Palmer, Zink and Schleicher, 
once again viewed her old surroundings and 
the terrace at the foot of Chapel Walk where 
she had rested many years ago before she 
became the much disputed object of interclass 
warfare. 

By this time the college had emerged from 
Chapel in a body and a mad rush down the hill 
began. The cars remained motionless until 
some of the foremost were very near, then they 
moved slowly away from the disappointed Even 
Classmen, picking up speed as they bowled 
down the Holyoke Road. At the bridge over 
the Boston & Main tracks they picked up one of 
the waiting cars, which, after meeting Schleicher, 
had gone to this point, and with the Mercer in the 
lead sped away. At the bridge across Fresh- 
man River, McGregor stopped and drew his car 
up directly across the road, completely blocking 
it. Fortunately, for McGregor's car, for he was 
stationed at a curve in the road, no cars followed. 
The element of surprise was relied on to such an 
extent in planning this appearance that it was 
thought unnecessary and inexpedient to take the 
trouble to put Even Class cars, which were some- 
what numerous, out of commission beforehand, 
and the fact that no car manned by Even Class- 
men came hurtling around the curve where 



136 SABRINA 

McGregor was waiting, goes to show how com- 
pletely the Even Classmen were taken off their 
guard. 

The Mercer bowled over the Notch, descend- 
ing on the other side. When near the foot of the 
hill it stopped and Sabrina was transferred to a 
Packard which had been kept in waiting here 
for this purpose. Seward got into this car which 
drove promptly to Winchendon, accompanied 
by the other hired car which followed along from 
Amherst. Curran, with Palmer, Zink and Schlei- 
cher went on to Springfield to throw off pur- 
suit, after which they returned to Amherst. 
McGregor returned to Boston with the Harvard 
men after spending most of the day in Amherst. 

Sabrina proceeded on to Holyoke in the Pack- 
ard, and doubled back to Hamp and on towards 
Greenfield. Just outside of Northampton the 
men in the Packard met Governor Coolidge, but 
did not stop for obvious reasons. They then 
went on to Greenfield believing that all pursuit 
would be directed towards Springfield. Subse- 
quent disclosures prove that this surmise was 
correct. From Greenfield they proceeded in a 
leisurely fashion to Winchendon where Sabrina 
was again hidden away in the warehouse adjoin- 
ing the toy factory, and after she was safely put 
back in her box Seward drove back to Boston. 
So ended the first appearance in Amherst of 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 137 

Sabrina in the hands of Odd Classmen for twenty- 
nine years. 

During the months that followed, several mem- 
bers of the class of 1920, sorely disappointed at 
the loss of their Goddess, made a number of 
trips to Boston in attempts to obtain informa- 
tion as to the whereabouts of their former God- 
dess. Here they secured the services of a Detec- 
tive Agency, and if rumors can be believed, they 
sent these men in all directions. What informa- 
tion they obtained, or of what value, is not 
definitely known, but if its value is to be judged 
by the amount of the charges which the Detective 
Agency saw fit to levy upon certain members of 
the class of 1920, it miust have been of prime 
importance in some respects, chiefly, it is felt, as 
an object lesson in the future. It is here re- 
ported that this matter was finally adjusted to 
the satisfaction of all by action of a Court of 
Equity which candidly declared that the service 
rendered did not constitute adequate considera- 
tion for the amount of the fee charged. 

At this time Gibson, '19, was living with 
Seward, and on one of his week end sojourns in 
Amherst an incident occurred which aroused his 
suspicions. Sabrina was at this time hidden, as 
has been mentioned, in the factory of Mr. Con- 
verse, who also owned a small inn in the town 
called ''Toy Town Tavern." Gibson found a 



138 SABRINA 

souvenir of this tavern lying upon the desk in 
one of the rooms of the Alpha Delt House which 
was occupied by men of the class of 1920. 
Cautiously inquiring about, his suspicions were 
more fully aroused, and accordingly he com- 
municated his information to Seward on his 
return to Boston. It was decided that no chance 
would be taken and that a possibility existed 
that the hiding place might be known, and ac- 
cordingly, plans were laid to remove the statue. 
In consultation with Soliday it was decided to 
take the statue as far away from its present 
location as was conveniently possible, and it 
was arranged with John Atwater, '15, to trans- 
port the Goddess to Huntington, West Virginia, 
where a good hiding place could be obtained at 
the bottom of a deserted mine shaft. 

All the necessary arrangements were made 
speedily. Atwater and Soliday were to take 
care of the New York end and a report was soon 
received from them that all was in readiness. It 
was planned to bring Sabrina from Winchendon 
to New Haven where Atwater would be met, 
the statue transferred to his car, and from where 
he would take it to Huntington, W. Va. the same 
day. On Saturday evening, June 4, Seward, 
McGregor and Gibson left Brookline in McGre- 
gor's car and proceeded without delay to Win- 
chendon. Here they at once repaired to Mr. 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 139 

Converse's warehouse, and after being admitted 
proceeded to remove the statue. This warehouse 
was used as a storage place for toys, and was 
completely filled from top to bottom with car- 
tons and cases of all sorts of wooden mechanical 
playthings. Mounting to the second floor of 
the old building the men went to a far corner, 
and after removing countless crates and boxes 
found the case containing the Goddess. The 
boards were unscrewed and the statue lifted out. 

Mrs. Converse had taken such a keen interest 
in the Sabrina story that she came down to her 
husband's factory late at night to see Sabrina off. 
The statue was carried down the narrow stairs by 
the light of an electric torch, and placed in Mc- 
Gregor's car. Then the men quietly moved off 
into one of the rainiest, blackest nights that the 
country had seen for some time. Some delay 
had been experienced in finding Sabrina and re- 
moving her from her crate, and as a result the 
car was two hours or more behind scheduled time 
when it left Winchendon. The condition of the 
roads caused further delay as the men proceeded, 
for driving was precarious, and the unusual 
weight in the rear seat of the car caused it to 
skid frequently. 

McGregor had driven the car all the way from 
Boston to Athol, and becoming somewhat weary, 
Seward took the wheel. This nearly resulted in 

10 



140 SABRINA 

a complete disaster to the entire party, for driv- 
ing along the road between Greenfield and Am- 
herst at a high rate of speed Seward failed to see 
a curve a short distance ahead which wound up 
over a narrow bridge. The car just hung on 
the road due to Seward's sudden return to life, 
and the party proceeded over the bridge and 
onward, somewhat breathless and rather thank- 
ful for the unseen and protecting hand of a 
higher Power. And now, Sabrina went through 
Amherst for the second time that year, although 
this trip could not be considered in any way an 
appearance. In fact, considerable care was taken 
that it should not be mistaken for an appearance 
by any Even Classmen who might be prowling 
about the streets of Amherst for any reason that 
evening. The car reached the confines of Am- 
herst about one in the morning, and passed slowly 
down South Pleasant Street, past the Common, 
and continued on down the Holyoke Road. The 
line of travel was through Holyoke and Spring- 
field, on to Hartford and then to New Haven. 
The roads by this time had become so slippery 
that it was impossible to keep up the rate of speed 
which had been previously planned, and upon 
which the hour scheduled as the time to meet 
Atwater in New Haven was based. After pass- 
ing through Hartford the men took the wrong 
road by mistake and none of them are clear to 



NINETEEN NINETEEN 141 

this day exactly what highways they travelled 
over in going to New Haven. Some of these 
turnpikes were under construction, and the de- 
tours which were thereby necessitated led through 
a devious and winding country. 

It had been decided to meet Atwater in New 
Haven at three o'clock that morning at the Taft 
Hotel. A telephone call had been attempted 
from Hartford, but Atwater was not there. The 
car bearing Sabrina reached the outskirts of 
New Haven at six o'clock, and proceeded at once 
to the Taft where Atwater was found. Robert 
Davis, '19, and Theodore Cross, '15, had ac- 
companied him from New York. After a short 
consultation the two cars moved out of town on 
the road towards New York and picking a con- 
venient side road turned off the main highway 
and came to a stop very near the driveway of a 
large estate. It had been planned before to 
effect the transfer from one car to the other 
under cover of darkness, but there was nothing 
to do now but to go ahead and make the best 
of it. Accordingly, in broad daylight, Sabrina 
was taken out of McGregor's car and placed in 
Atwater's Mercer where she was covered with a 
slip cover. Without losing any more time the 
Mercer started out on the way to New York, 
the other car following it for a short distance until 
the speed which the Mercer attained made fur- 



142 SABRINA 

ther pursuit an impossibility. McGregor, Se- 
ward and Gibson now returned to Boston along 
the Shore Road, where they arrived after a long 
and tedious journey. They had completed all 
told, a journey of nearly four hundred miles 
during a period of less than twenty-four hours. 

Atwater went direct to New York and took 
Sabrina, avoiding crowded streets, on to Phila- 
delphia. Pausing for refreshments here at the 
home of David Soliday, they went on to Hunt- 
ington, West Virginia, picking up Atwater's 
younger brother on the way, Davis and Cross 
dropping off and returning to New York. At- 
water arrived in Huntington late the following 
evening where he at once took Sabrina to her new 
hiding place at the bottom of a deserted mine 
shaft. 

While the authors of this book do not pretend 
to know the complete history of Sabrina while 
in the hands of Even Classes, it is felt that the 
resting place in West Virginia was the farthest 
spot from Amherst in which Sabrina has ever 
stayed, being roughly some twelve hundred miles 
from the home of the Little Yankee College. 
Here, Sabrina remained until her appearance at 
the 1921 banquet. 



NINETEEN TWENTY ONE 

AFTER Sabrina was shown on April 19 of 
the Spring of 1920 she remained for 
some time in West Virginia as has been 
described previously. Those in charge of the statue 
came to the conclusion that it would be advis- 
able to move her back East to have her nearer 
the college, and hold her against the time for 
the banquet of the class of 1921. Accordingly, 
late in October, Soliday, who was still official 
guardian, communicated with the men in Boston, 
and after considering the matter at some length, 
they decided that the best thing to do was to 
notify Atwater to ship the statue North as soon 
as possible. 

Atwater was at this time living in New York 
and he and Soliday made plans to bring the 
statue up from the South. It was decided that at 
this time of the year it would be impracticable to 
bring her up in a motor and that she would have 
to be shipped to New York by train. Atwater 
attended to the details of removing the statue 
from its hiding place and of having a suitable box 
made in which to ship her. Sabrina was shipped 
to New York by express, in care of Robert Davis, 
'19 Hills Brothers Company, 375 Washington 
Street, New York City, and the box which con- 

143 



144 SABRINA 

tained the Goddess was stamped in several 
places with the stencil, '^ Machinery, Urgent." 
Arriving in New York it was delivered to Hills 
Brothers in the morning, and that afternoon 
Atwater and Davis drove around to the side 
entrance of Hills Brothers building in the former's 
Mercer where the crate containing Sabrina was 
loaded into the car. While the two men were 
hauling and pushing the heavy box, Frederick 
Bale, 1906, passed by. The two men were greatly 
alarmed, for they feared detection, but Bale 
passed by without noticing anything out of the 
way. 

After this narrow escape the two men set out 
for New Haven. Soliday and Seward had made 
arrangements for Sabrina to be taken to Provi- 
dence by Atwater who was there to meet a dele- 
gation of Odd Classmen from Boston, after 
which the statue was to be transferred and taken 
to Leominster, Massachusetts. 

Leaving New York at about midnight, aU 
went well, and after a few hours Atwater and 
Davis arrived with their precious charge in Provi- 
dence. Seward and Gibson left Boston in a 
machine and arrived at the Crown Hotel at 
about eleven o'clock where they waited for the 
men from New York. When the latter arrived 
at the Crown they reported that all had gone 
well, that their movements were not known or 



NINETEEN TWENTY ONE 145 

suspected by Even Classmen, and that they 
knew there was no pursuit as they had kept a 
close watch upon the road behind them coming 
up from New York. The men left Providence, 
and a few miles out of town transferred the 
statue from Atwater's car to the car which Se- 
ward had hired in Boston for the purpose. 
Davis and Atwater, after bidding farewell to the 
statue, turned about and started out on their 
long drive back to New York. They planned to 
arrive there as soon as possible and to be in their 
respective offices at the usual hour next morning, 
thereby throwing off any suspicion. The men 
accompanying Sabrina now started out for Bos- 
ton, where they arrived in an hour and a half. 
Here the statue was left for a few days at the 
home of Mr. Williams, who has been previously 
mentioned, while final arrangements for its new 
location were being completed. After that 
Sabrina was taken by motor to Leominster 
where a hiding place had been prepared for her 
in the warehouse of the Webster Piano Company. 
A piano box had been made ready and the statue 
was placed in this and stored in an out-of-the- 
way corner of the factory among other similar 
cases. 

Plans now were laid for the 1921 Banquet. 
Men from Amherst came down to Boston and 
plans were perfected in consultation with the Odd 



146 SABRINA 

Classmen in Boston who had previously handled 
the Goddess. After considering the various 
factors entering into the problem it was decided 
that New London was the most advantageous 
point at which to have the Class Supper and 
show Sabrina, for it was near the place where the 
statue was then in hiding, and admitted of easily 
arranging for a special train to take the student 
body to the Banquet. November 29 was finally 
decided upon as the date, for it was just after 
the close of the Thanksgiving vacation and this 
time seemed to be one when Even Classmen 
might least suspect that a banquet was to be 
held. 

Accordingly, the manager of the hotel was 
seen and a menu was prepared. A special train 
was chartered over the Central Vermont to 
leave Amherst at 6:30 on the night of the ban- 
quet. No notice was to be given to the Odd 
Classmen in college that the affair was pending 
until a few hours before the train was scheduled 
to leave. 

It was decided that Seward, who was in 
Boston, should be given charge of bringing 
Sabrina to the banquet so that it would not be 
necessary for any Odd Classmen to leave college 
as the time of the banquet approached. It was 
feared that close watch was being kept upon 
certain men in the class of 1921, and this move, 




SABRINA EN ROUTE 



NINETEEN TWENTY ONE 147 

therefore, seemed wise. At this time a new hid- 
ing place was also determined upon to take the 
statue to after its appearance at the banquet, 
and all the arrangements of hiring cars to con- 
vey the statute to New London were to be ar- 
ranged from the Boston end. 

Acknowledgment should here be made to the 
services rendered by Mr. Walker, manager of the 
Mohican Hotel, who entered into the spirit of the 
sport from the moment when the intended ban- 
quet was first broached. He promised absolute 
secrecy and to him was left the matter of ar- 
ranging a place for the statue to wait in the hotel 
while the banquet was in progress before the time 
appointed for the appearance of the statue. 

On the morning of November 29, notification 
was sent to every Odd Classmen to be at the 
Central Vermont station in Amherst that even- 
ing at 6 : 30, to say nothing to anyone about the 
matter, and to attract as little attention as pos- 
sible in proceeding to the station. Schleicher was 
intrusted with the duty of spreading this informa- 
tion, and he told a man in each delegation of '21 
and '23 to see to it that the news was properly 
passed. That evening the men slipped away from 
their boarding houses in twos and threes and 
after a secluded walk through the town arrived 
at the Central Vermont station. A roll call was 
quietly taken and when it was clear that all the 



148 SABRINA 

men who might be coming were on hand, the 
train was boarded. An Odd Classman was 
stationed at each doorway to make sure that no 
Even Classman made his way into any coach 
unseen. 

At this point a humorous incident arose which 
nearly prevented the Odd Classmen from seeing 
their Goddess that evening. Those in charge of 
the banquet decided that they would collect the 
money to pay for the special on the train as it 
proceeded to New London, but these plans were 
somewhat upset by the announcement of a rail- 
road official that the train would not move unless 
full payment was made in advance. Various 
wiles were used in an attempt to persuade the 
conductor that his action might lead to serious 
and dire results, but he remained firm in his 
refusal to allow the engineer to open the throttle 
until his company was paid. As this bill 
amounted to something over a thousand dollars, 
it appeared to be a somewhat large contract to 
impose upon a few men, and to be fulfilled on 
such peremptory notice. However, the class 
was canvassed immediately and successfully. 
Some cash was raised and the conductor was 
finally persuaded to accept a check for the bal- 
ance. This little matter having been satisfac- 
torily attended to, the men who had been running 
about on the platform while the collection was 



NINETEEN TWENTY ONE 149 

being taken up, now got aboard, the engineer 
gave two toots of his whistle and the train was off. 

Although the plans to prevent Even Classmen 
from entering the train had been well worked out 
in advance, they went astray somewhat during 
the confusion which resulted when the con- 
ductor made his somewhat arbitrary demand. 
In the midst of the helter-skelter which fol- 
lowed, Theodore Lemcke, '22, who had in some 
way gotten wind of the intended banquet, had 
come down to the Central Vermont station and 
managed to slip unnoticed toward the head of 
the train, where he crawled in between the tender 
and the first coach, and, biding his time, man- 
aged to hide himself in the coal car. From the 
conversation of the conductor with the engineer 
which he overheard by chance, he learned that 
the destination of this special train was New 
London, and as the train passed through a way- 
station he dismounted from his hiding place and 
made his way towards the ticket office, intending 
to send a telegram to his Even Class colleagues 
back in Amherst announcing the place at which 
the banquet was to be held. 

Unfortunately for Lemcke, some of the Odd 
Classmen had also alighted from the train and 
were strolling about the platform to get a breath 
of air. When they noticed Lemcke they promptly 
seized him, and a search revealed a piece of paper 



150 SABRINA 

upon which he had written, ^'Banquet in New 
London. Will keep you posted. Signed — 
Lemcke." If the Even Classman's appearance 
in this out-of-the-way place at this unusual time 
had not been sufficient to convince the Odd 
Classmen that Lemcke was bent on mischief, 
the finding of this document was ample testi- 
mony, and Lemcke was securely bound and put 
back on the train under strong guard. It was 
not reported exactly what Lemcke said at this 
time, but those who were at the banquet are 
under the impression that his remarks were 
highly uncomplimentary to the character and 
doings of certain Odd Classmen. 

The train now resumed speed and arrived 
in New London about ten o'clock. The men 
proceeded up the streets of New London to the 
hotel. The Mohican, singing loudly the song 
which has awakened many a quiet town in the 
depths of night with its stirring refrain, ''All 
Hail Sabrina Dear." Lemcke was also escorted 
to the banquet, but was not allowed to sing. 
The men entered the hotel in a body and pro- 
ceeded at once to the banquet hall where they 
waited around until the time scheduled for the 
banquet to begin. 

In the meantime, Seward had left Boston with 
two cars which had been obtained for the pur- 
pose, and Sabrina was taken from her hiding 



NINETEEN TWENTY ONE 151 

place at Leominster, and from there taken to 
Providence. From Providence they proceeded 
to New London where they arrived about half 
past ten in the evening. The statue was im- 
mediately taken to the Hotel Mohican and was 
kept here at the rear door until word was re- 
ceived from inside that all was in readiness, 
when it was immediately taken into the ban- 
quet hall. 

Lemcke was secreted in a room of the hotel 
which was securely locked, for the Odd Classmen 
were not going to take any chances that the Even 
Classmen might succeed in getting a clew as to 
where Sabrina was to be taken after the banquet. 
At the given time the men entered the banquet 
hall, and just before they were seated Sabrina 
was ushered into the room. The Sabrina song 
was at once struck up and the men crowded 
around to get a glimpse of the Goddess and to 
take advantage of their first opportunity to kiss 
her fair lips. After vigorous cheering for 
Sabrina, the men seated themselves at the table, 
and when they looked around again for their 
Goddess, she was gone. 

The banquet which followed was altogether in 
keeping with the spirit of the occasion, and the 
speeches of the evening were appropriate and 
timely. R. E. Clarke, acting as toastmaster, 
introduced David S. Soliday, '19, who had come 



152 SABRINA 

up from Philadelphia, as the man who should 
be given a just share of credit for the capture of 
Sabrina at the Boston Banquet the previous 
Winter. Sabrina was then officially turned over 
to the class of 1921 by Soliday who had been the 
guardian of the Goddess for the class of 1919. 

After her appearance at this Banquet Sabrina 
disappeared, and those who accompanied her 
have only to report that to the best of their 
knowledge she was not pursued, and was safely 
placed in her new hiding place. 

So ends this present history of Sabrina, the 
''Lady of Many Adventures." Who knows 
what adventures are still in store for her? 
Probably, she will soon emerge from her present 
home and again smile upon her worshippers at 
Amherst. In concluding, the writers of this 
book find that they cannot express their feeling 
about the value of the Sabrina tradition in any 
better way than that in which it was presented 
in an editorial in the Boston Herald soon after the 
capture of Sabrina by Odd Classmen in Boston, 
and accordingly, they re-print it here as a fitting 
close for this work. 

SABRINA 
"What college, small or great, young or old, in all the land can 
supply a tale that matches the hectic history of Amherst's bronze 
goddess? How the Odds have schemed to take her from the posses- 
sion of the Evens; how the Evens have plotted to display her in all her 
glory to the entire school and yet prevent her from leaving their 



NINETEEN TWENTY ONE 153 

custody. Names that bulk as big in college history as those of the 
redoubtable heroes of the athletic fields have been made by several 
Amherst men whose ingenuity and daring have won for the Goddess a 
new triimiph. So curious have been the tales about her that thou- 
sands of college men have supposed the whole yarn was a myth. Yet 
Sabrina attended the Amherst dinner in this city on one recent even- 
ing, and, after 29 years, passed out of the keeping of the classes with 
even numerals into the hands of the Odds, there to remain imtil her 
hiding place is discovered, or some clever scheme goes wrong, and, as 
was the case the other evening, the promptness in seizing an oppor- 
tunity when it comes, shall again bring an exchange of custodians. 

She is a travelled Goddess. She has been secreted imder deep 
waters and in hidden chambers. The glory of a class responsible for 
her safe keeping always has been to exhibit her to the classes whose 
supreme ambition has been to acquire possession of her, and yet to 
prevent her from faUing into the hands of the "enemy." With a 
river between she has been carried for miles within sight of a train- 
load of students and then whirled away to her hiding place. Last 
year she was hustled through the college town itself, but as pre- 
liminary precaution most of the automobiles that might have been 
employed for pursuit were rendered useless for the time being. Now 
at a banquet where the Governor of the Commonwealth and the 
president of the college were speakers she makes her appearance only 
to pass from the guardianship of 1920 and 1922 into that of 1919 and 
1921. But — the end is not yet." 



SABRINA APPEARS AGAIN 

Since the foregoing history was written Sabrina has 
once more appeared in Amherst, and the account of the 
showing serves as a fitting close to this book. 

It was originally planned to bring Sabrina before the 
college body at a sing, to be held on the senior fence di- 
rectly after church. Sunday, May first, was the day 
chosen. Very few detailed arrangements were made, as 
it was thought best to rely entirely on the element of 
surprise in carrying out the venture. 

Neiley, '19, offered the use of his car to the under- 
graduates in charge of the affair, and agreed to meet the 
men from college in Springfield at nine-thirty Sunday 
morning. Meanwhile, the statue was to be brought to 
Springfield. A Hudson, which belonged to a young lady, 
at present in Smith College, was to be used for this pur- 
pose. When all was ready the party was to go on to 
Amherst, arriving there shortly after twelve o'clock. 
Sabrina was to pass before the students assembled on the 
Senior Fence and then to leave town by the Greenfield 
Road. 

However, when Sunday dawned it was raining heavily, 
and the plans were changed to meet weather conditions. 

Neiley and three other '19 men: Seward, McGregor 
and Gibson, left Boston at five o'clock Sunday morning 
and set out for Springfield. The night was dark, it 
rained incessantly, and as dawn broke the wind fell, and 
there seemed to be no chance of its clearing. The ride 
to Worcester was cold and wet, and arriving there, the 
men went to the Bancroft to dry out, get breakfast and 
consider the general situation once again. 

154 



SABRINA APPEARS AGAIN 155 

There seemed to be very little point in going further. 
If the rain kept up, the appearance would be a poor affair 
at best; no one would see Sabrina, and it would not be a 
very creditable performance. Neiley remarked that on 
such a day the Lady could be taken through town in a 
wheelbarrow in perfect safety. Besides it was a bad day 
to ride sixty more miles in an open car, and nobody looked 
forward to it with pleasure. However, the men reaHzed 
that they were somewhat under orders, or at least they 
were bound by their word to be in Springfield that morn- 
ing, and there was nothing to do but to go on. 

So the men set out again and arrived at their destina- 
tion half an hour behind schedule time. Nobody was 
there to meet them, and it looked very much as if the few 
moments procrastination in Worcester would have bad 
results. These were dark moments. Imagination 
showed Sabrina going through Amherst in a single car, 
followed by speedy vehicles filled with blood thirsty Even 
Classmen, all bent on destruction. And it was beginning 
to rain again. 

Suddenly a Hudson appeared and when it had rolled 
up alongside of Neiley's Mercer, the curtains were cau- 
tiously poked aside, and the undergraduates climbed 
out. Sabrina was safely tucked up in the back seat of 
the car. 

The sing had been called off, of course, and it was ac- 
cordingly planned to show Sabrina just as church was 
letting out. The Hudson went ahead, leaving orders for 
Neiley and the other men to catch up with them on the 
Notch, where the statue was to be transferred to the 
faster and heavier car. 

The Hudson was soon lost to sight, and all went well 

untU the Mercer arrived on the outskirts of Holyoke, 

where a rumble and bumping announced that a rear tire 
11 



156 SABRINA 

was flat. There was no time to change tires, so, drawing 
up at a roadside gasoline station, enough air was pumped 
into the defective tire to hold up several cars, and the 
men went along, hoping that it wouldn't blow out, or at 
least would last long enough for the trick to be accom- 
pHshed. 

There was no time to be lost now, and, hitting up a 
good rate of speed the Mercer at last drew up abreast of 
the Hudson, just beyond the top of the Notch. The top 
of the Mercer was raised and Sabrina was lifted in. Then, 
taking the lead, it started off towards Amherst, followed 
by the Hudson. 

As the cars came into the outskirts of the town they 
were met by other undergraduates. In the car with 
Sabrina now were Hatheway, '21, Zink, '21, Wilcox, '23 
and Neiley, '19, driving. In the Hudson following were 
Schleicher, '21, driving. Disston, '21, Clark, '21, Seward, 
McGregor and Gibson, '19, and Coldrein, '23, followed 
along in his machine. 

When the two cars arrived in town, they swung to the 
right by the octagon, and came to a stop near the senior 
fence. The campus was deserted. Presently a solitary 
freshman, an Even Classman, strolled by. He looked 
long and hard at the two cars, but evidently their unusual 
appearance at that hour conveyed nothing to his un- 
sophisticated mind, or to his guilty conscience, for church 
was still going on. After this hectic moment the cars 
circled the campus, and with much tooting of horns and 
shouting of directions, drew up in rear of the church. 

Here the covers were removed from the statue and it 
was raised up in the seat in full view. The sun was just 
coming out from behind a thinning bank of clouds, and 
shone over Sabrina: — a radiant Goddess in a shining 
chariot, much pursued, much sought after, but safely 



SABRINA APPEARS AGAIN 157 

watched by a jealous guard, and withal, aloof and smiling. 

Here she remained for about ten minutes in fuU view 
of anyone who might have come along. No one came, 
and presently the doors of church opened, and the col- 
lege body came streaming out. The sharp bark of a 
motor broke their reverie; a few shouts brought their 
wandering thoughts back from heaven to earth, and on 
their astounded sight burst the Vision of Sabrina, high 
above, moving slowly before them. Shouts rent the air. 
"All Hail Sabrina" swelled to a chorus as the Goddess 
slowly drew away from her shouting, running pursuers, 
and moved slowly off down past the village common 
towards the Greenfield road. Soon she was lost to sight. 

Bat for a moment only. Turning suddenly about, the 
Mercer headed straight back along the way it had come, 
and with a roar of its coughing motor, dashed down the 
road, past Alpha Delta and Psi U, through a lane of men 
lining the road, taken completely by surprise, who made 
no effort to check the rapid passage. Then she vanished 
down the Holyoke road. 

Thus Sabrina appeared, and thus she vanished. 

Long Live Sabrina! 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



00D5S2H502b 



